General Entertainment ~Rate The Last Movie/TV Show You Watched Thread~

[Bloodporne]

3 hours ago, SimpleG said:

Lost Highway - Criterion Collection 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Ultra HD Review | High Def Digest

ULTRAHD.HIGHDEFDIGEST.COM

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'The latest news on all things 4k Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Gear'

 

Thanks man. Just bought the Eraserhead 4k Criterion as well, two days ago.

[Keyser_Soze]

 

Dangerous Liaisons: 7/10

 

Dangerous Liaisons is period piece based on play based on a novel from 1782. You may have also seen it adapted in another form, Cruel Intentions, back in 1999. Basically Glenn Close wants to get revenge on her ex by having John Malkovich sleep with his fiancee (Uma Thurman). But John Malkovich says it would be too easy and he's more interested in seducing Michelle Pfeiffer. So Glenn Close says if he can bang Michelle Pfeifffer with written proof then he can bang her. So John Malkovich says "DEAL!"

Now the eternal question would you rather do it with Uma Thurman or Michelle Pfeifffer? Seems like as far as this movie goes the former is better than the latter. 🤔But Makovich is so slick, why not have both? Also Keanu Reeves is in this.

As far as the movie goes the art direction is there. They made sure those corsets really make the boobs pop out. I feel like if you were really into the play you'd be into this, though it feels a bit dry to me. Also, while John Malkovich is a great actor he feels kind of out of place in a period piece like this. He pulls it off with his acting but is ultimately unconvincing as a Frenchman from the time period.

[Keyser_Soze]

 

Resident Evil: 7/10

 

There has been much ballyhoo surrounding this show and what makes a show "Resident Evil." Is Resident Evil the first two games, with special force members wandering around a mansion or police station? Is it fighting mutated dudes in Spain? Is it Sheva in West Africa? Is it some guy in a backwater house or fighting vampires and lycans? Is it Rose? Perhaps it is all these things, but one thing is a constant no matter the setting, Umbrella. So the show takes place in 2022, 24 years after the events of the first game. Umbrella has "rebooted" but are still the same old Umbrella. The show shifts between future, 2036 and the present 2022. In the future the shit has already hit the fan and so we see from both angles what is potentially leading to the event and what is going on years after the event.

 

The show revolves around Albert Wesker and his daughters. Naturally in 2022, his teenage daughters are going to school. But end up stirring the umbrella pot a bit and so are roped into whatever conspiracy is going on. The future is much more action oriented, lots of monsters, zeros, etc. So I think the show strikes a good balance of action and mystery. There are a lot of odes to the game in the show. One character utters the, "master of unlocking," line while later keep your ears open for Moonlight Sonata. The show is semi serious, there is a lot of tongue in cheek humor throughout.

 

I think the cast is quite good actually. The show is headlined by Lance Reddick and to my knowledge he has never had a lead role in a series or movie and I think he takes full advantage of it in this series. You'll never see him be more versatile than he is in this series and you're in for a treat later on in the series. The rest of the cast aren't bad either, the two girls are good in both the past and future, Paola Núñez positively evil, even minor characters have something to give. The show has a good look, the fx company has done The Shape of Water and even the Disney Lion King and other remakes (to name a few) so to me this show is hitting on all cylinders.

 

I feel like the later couple of episodes slow down the roller-coaster a bit but a lot of it is building to the next season, which I hope we get. There' a lot to like in this show and the more you see the more you'll love it. It's a shame there is a rabid fanbase out there dedicated to trashing the show because this is quite good.

[elbobo]

Ambulance

 

Michael Bay got a camera drone and by god he was going to use it. This movie is exactly what you would expect it to be. The helicopter scene in the LA river was wild, honestly the best stunt flying since Terminator 2 probably, can't believe they got permission/insurance to do that scene.

 

6/10

[best3444]

8 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

Resident Evil: 7/10

 

There has been much ballyhoo surrounding this show and what makes a show "Resident Evil." Is Resident Evil the first two games, with special force members wandering around a mansion or police station? Is it fighting mutated dudes in Spain? Is it Sheva in West Africa? Is it some guy in a backwater house or fighting vampires and lycans? Is it Rose? Perhaps it is all these things, but one thing is a constant no matter the setting, Umbrella. So the show takes place in 2022, 24 years after the events of the first game. Umbrella has "rebooted" but are still the same old Umbrella. The show shifts between future, 2036 and the present 2022. In the future the shit has already hit the fan and so we see from both angles what is potentially leading to the event and what is going on years after the event.

 

The show revolves around Albert Wesker and his daughters. Naturally in 2022, his teenage daughters are going to school. But end up stirring the umbrella pot a bit and so are roped into whatever conspiracy is going on. The future is much more action oriented, lots of monsters, zeros, etc. So I think the show strikes a good balance of action and mystery. There are a lot of odes to the game in the show. One character utters the, "master of unlocking," line while later keep your ears open for Moonlight Sonata. The show is semi serious, there is a lot of tongue in cheek humor throughout.

 

I think the cast is quite good actually. The show is headlined by Lance Reddick and to my knowledge he has never had a lead role in a series or movie and I think he takes full advantage of it in this series. You'll never see him be more versatile than he is in this series and you're in for a treat later on in the series. The rest of the cast aren't bad either, the two girls are good in both the past and future, Paola Núñez positively evil, even minor characters have something to give. The show has a good look, the fx company has done The Shape of Water and even the Disney Lion King and other remakes (to name a few) so to me this show is hitting on all cylinders.

 

I feel like the later couple of episodes slow down the roller-coaster a bit but a lot of it is building to the next season, which I hope we get. There' a lot to like in this show and the more you see the more you'll love it. It's a shame there is a rabid fanbase out there dedicated to trashing the show because this is quite good.

 

I was literally picking this as my next show. I just finished Stranger Things. Thanks for the nice writeup as usual.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

We watched 1408 last night, it was enjoyable. A solid 8/10. Good bit different from the short story, but I liked the changes. 

[Zeluge]

Nope - Peele going a more openly crowd-pleasing route in a personal way with a shambling quality was very welcome. Was getting something of a Hawksian vibe here, like Rio Bravo. Glad I avoided early promos for this.

 

The Gray Man - Worst looking $200M I’ve ever seen. Slathered in cheap, glossy CGI with minimal on-set production value to bolster. For all the bold-font announcement of locations, most of this is pretty anonymous-looking in terms of setting. Flat, TV-level cinematography with sound design that leaves most of the action limping along aurally. Biggest crime though is the tonal whiplash. Transitions between incompetent, serious action and overwritten rambling comedy and back again is disruptive and graceless every single time. Russos really put their feet in their mouths here, and (loathe as I am to say this) the Marvel Machine seems to have been covering for their deficiencies as filmmakers.

 

The Black Phone - Doesn’t hold up great to fridge logic (it tries to lampshade some stuff, but even then …), but really solid in the moment. The two kids are really great, especially the girl, who had my heart in tatters at one point. Not enough hammy Hawke, sadly.

 

Thor: Love and Thunder - Retroactively questioning if Ragnarok was actually good, or just surprising. Thor’s strife with his axe is more involving than anything with Jane.

 

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On - Lovely, wonderful, though I don’t appreciate being Rosa-Salazar-baited. Rossellini is a treasure.

[GeneticBlueprint]

Con-Air - 4/10 - This movie has not aged gracefully. A fun concept is hampered by the most mediocre action and a script/character that doesn't let the movie's star let loose like he usually does.

 

Face/Off - 7/10 - This movie has also not aged gracefully but does let its two leading men go crazy. Much more memorable action sequences and gun fights carry it through despite some 90s trappings.

 

The Contractor - 4/10 - A stellar cast that reunites Chris Pine and Ben Foster (both leads in the excellent Hell or High Water) along with Kiefer Sutherland and throws them into a euro-espionage-action thriller. That sounds like a winning formula to me. Unfortunately, the whole movie is sloppy and boring. Amateur hour.

 

Aguirre, The Wrath of God - 9/10 - This one had been on my watchlist forever. I'm glad I finally saw it because I can see how much one of my favorite movies ever, Apocalypse Now, owes to it. Aguirre is supposed to be the crazy one on this journey but he might be the only sane one.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Doctor Sleep Director’s Cut 9/10

 

Rebecca Ferguson was a captivating villain. I felt it did justice to the book for the most part and it felt like a proper sequel to Kubrick’s film. I actually liked the ending, despite not really loving Kubrick’s vision. 

[Keyser_Soze]

 

An American Werewolf in London: 7/10

 

If you've never seen An American Werewolf in London before it becomes quite clear early on this is almost a self satire of sorts. Two goofball Americans find themselves in a pub called the Slaughtered Lamb, where the townsfolk don't take too kindly to them but also don't want to reveal there is a werewolf around. They just give the advice "Stay away from the moors and stay near the road" and the two guys don't and say, "oops" and are attacked by a werewolf. The rest of the movie is the survivor, David Kessler, trying to cope with the reality he soon will become a werewolf. But it's not a very serious movie and kind of silly a lot of the time. It is directed by John Landis, and if you're familiar with his line of work, someone who's directed a lot of comedies. I did find it humorous but almost too self aware to be super funny. The other stand out thing of course is the creature effects which for 1981 seem pretty quite good. I feel like the movie is a good mix of both horror and comedy but it doesn't push in either direction enough to satisfy one way or the other. It just kinda felt weird.

[EternallDarkness]

On 7/29/2022 at 3:17 AM, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

Doctor Sleep Director’s Cut 9/10

 

Rebecca Ferguson was a captivating villain. I felt it did justice to the book for the most part and it felt like a proper sequel to Kubrick’s film. I actually liked the ending, despite not really loving Kubrick’s vision. 

 

Even though I've had it forever I still haven't watched the Director's cut. When I saw it in the theaters I thought it was okay but didn't come close to matching the book.  As for Kubrick's Shining...I think I would have enjoyed it so much more if I had never read and been a fan of the book. There is so much in the book that doesn't come across in the movie. The struggle and desire for Jack to be a good father, a good man just isn't seen in the movie. The mini series with Steven Weber did a much better job of translating the book. 

 

 

 

15 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

An American Werewolf in London: 7/10

 

If you've never seen An American Werewolf in London before it becomes quite clear early on this is almost a self satire of sorts. Two goofball Americans find themselves in a pub called the Slaughtered Lamb, where the townsfolk don't take too kindly to them but also don't want to reveal there is a werewolf around. They just give the advice "Stay away from the moors and stay near the road" and the two guys don't and say, "oops" and are attacked by a werewolf. The rest of the movie is the survivor, David Kessler, trying to cope with the reality he soon will become a werewolf. But it's not a very serious movie and kind of silly a lot of the time. It is directed by John Landis, and if you're familiar with his line of work, someone who's directed a lot of comedies. I did find it humorous but almost too self aware to be super funny. The other stand out thing of course is the creature effects which for 1981 seem pretty quite good. I feel like the movie is a good mix of both horror and comedy but it doesn't push in either direction enough to satisfy one way or the other. It just kinda felt weird.

 

 

Haven't watched this one in a while. It's a damn fun flick. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

3 hours ago, EternallDarkness said:

 

Even though I've had it forever I still haven't watched the Director's cut. When I saw it in the theaters I thought it was okay but didn't come close to matching the book.  As for Kubrick's Shining...I think I would have enjoyed it so much more if I had never read and been a fan of the book. There is so much in the book that doesn't come across in the movie. The struggle and desire for Jack to be a good father, a good man just isn't seen in the movie. The mini series with Steven Weber did a much better job of translating the book. 

Pretty much how I felt about Kubrick’s version. I haven’t watched the miniseries, though. I heard it’s much closer to the book, but also not well made. 
 

The Shining is one of my favorite King books. Definitely in my top 5 out of the 40 or so I’ve read so far.

[EternallDarkness]

12 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

Pretty much how I felt about Kubrick’s version. I haven’t watched the miniseries, though. I heard it’s much closer to the book, but also not well made. 

 

for a made for TV movie at the time it was made it actually isn't too bad. Would definitely love to see it get the treatment it deserves with an Amazon or Netflix style budget. And Weber actually isn't too bad as Jack. Sure it takes a little while to not see him as his Wings character but...

[Phaseknox]

13 hours ago, EternallDarkness said:

Haven't watched this one in a while. It's a damn fun flick. 

How many of the 80s movies that I listed here have you seen?

 

[EternallDarkness]

2 hours ago, Phaseknox said:

How many of the 80s movies that I listed here have you seen?

 

 

at a quick glance...most of them aside from a few like Coal Miners Daughter. I'd be afraid to try and even guess how many 80s flicks I've watched. 

[Keyser_Soze]

40 minutes ago, EternallDarkness said:

 

at a quick glance...most of them aside from a few like Coal Miners Daughter. I'd be afraid to try and even guess how many 80s flicks I've watched. 

 

How many from my list?

[EternallDarkness]

1 hour ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

How many from my list?

 

didn't count but most of them 

[Keyser_Soze]

8 hours ago, EternallDarkness said:

didn't count but most of them 

 

It's hard to count to 3.

[Derek]

Just finished Spider-Man: No Way Home. Really enjoyed it. I watched Tobey's Spider-Man 3 Saturday night and it was even more terrible than I remember, but No Way Home redeemed it in spades, for me. No love for Topher Grace, though?

[Phaseknox]

1 hour ago, Derek said:

I watched Tobey's Spider-Man 3 Saturday night and it was even more terrible than I remember

I like it.  Not as much as the first two movies of course, but I don’t think that it’s as bad as it’s made out to be. It’s better than the Andrew Garfield Amazing Spider-Man movies IMO.

[gamer.tv]

Watched Donnie Darko last night (first time for my wife). For me, it’s aged really, really well and is still a weird, little bit creepy, but entertaining film.

 

we have no internet at the moment so I’ve also bought Reservoir Dogs (also wife never see ) and season one of The West Wing, Homeland, and 24 to watch.

[elbobo]

The Northman

 

I was not a fan of the mysticism elements and thought they really detracted from the rest of movie, I understand why they were in there to not make it paint by number revenge film but they just didn't work for me.

 

5/10

 

 

The unbearable weight of massive talent

 

Nic Cage being a caricature or how knows maybe real Nic Cage is entertaining. This movie is not quite what the trailers made it out to be though. A good time was had though.

 

7/10

[TheLeon]

Bullet Train - Plays a lot like a live action cartoon, which I enjoyed. Fun cast, some good surprises despite seeing the trailer in front of every movie for the last 6 months. 

[elbobo]

Ted Lasso season 1 and 2

 

Walks the line of having just acres of heart without getting overly saccharine even though Ted can be half step below Ned Flanders at points in terms of his niceness. My spirit animal is a combination of 75% coach beard and 25% Roy Kent.

 

9/10 

[TheLeon]

On 7/4/2022 at 6:04 AM, Keyser_Soze said:

 

Belle: 9/10

 

Belle is the latest (and greatest) movie from writer & director Mamoru Hosoda. Five years in the making (with two of those pandemic years) he really went all out for this one. The character design for Belle is Jin Kim who worked on Frozen and Tangled (among others) and features three musical composers one, Ludvig Forssell, who composed the Death Stranding soundtrack. Even more astounding is the voice actress in both English and Japanese both sang and acted their roles.

 

If you're familiar with Hosoda's work this one may tread familiar ground, in fact he says as much in one of the interviews. The movie takes place in both a virtual world called "U" and the real world called "Japan." The main character Suzu had a traumatic past when she was six years old. Not ever really able to cope with reality she found "U" which allowed her to break free from her sorrow as an avatar named Belle. Suzu had been brought up around music when she was young but the incident when from when she was young prevented her from singing, but in U she is able to let loose. Later another character appears that others dub "The Beast" and well I think a lot of us are familiar with that story. So the movie is kind of like his previous movie, "Summer Wars" but the incorporation of the virtual world in this one leads to a bit more grounded and sad reality.

 

Now haters of CG anime all i have to say is:

 

The animation is incredible. In fact Hosoda went on to say that this movie is the most convincing CG anime depiction of emotion EVER. And I can't say I disagree. A lot of attention to detail was paid to every part of this movie. In fact if you're one of those dub perverts you're in luck because NYAV Post did the dub. Belle is an excellent movie and dare I say one of Hosoda's best 🤔

This dropped on HBO Max recently, but only the dubbed version. I watched it anyway, and it is great! 

[elbobo]

Orville - New Horizons 

 

The move to streaming was a mixed bag IMO. Clearly had a bump in the budget and fewer episodes allowed for increased production values on a per episode basis. They also were allowed to do longer episodes which unfortunately for most of the plots was unnecessary and it always felt like there was a scene or two that could be cut from almost any episode. I think Seth Macfarlane has finally accepted the fact that he is a bad actor and allowed the rest of the cast to have more screen time this season.

 

One surprising change was the almost complete lack of humor this season outside the last episode. The first season was a mess with dick and fart jokes and modern day pop culture references that were totally out of place. Second season they wisely changed it up to make the humor more culture clash based and it worked really well most of the time, this season had almost nothing aside from a few one liners from Bortus who remains the MVP of the show.

 

7/10

[Keyser_Soze]

 

Cleopatra: 7/10

 

Perverse not only in runtime (over 4 hours long) but budget as well (44 MILLION dollars (according to IMDB adjusted for inflation that would be 400 million today)) Cleopatra tells the tale of Cleopatra. Well sort of. If anything the film I would say (unsurprisingly) focuses on the men, despite Elizabeth Taylor being the headline role. The first half of the movie is about Julius Caesar until (IRL Spoilers) he gets assassinated. Then the second half is about Mark Anthony. Not to say it wasn't interesting to watch, it was acted well, the sets, props and about everything else are just extravagant. But for a movie called Cleopatra maybe you'd want to see more Cleopatra. I think maybe a more interesting take would be the events leading up to the beginning of the movie with her and Ptolemy rising to the throne and the events surrounding that and then maybe ending on Julius Caesar dying instead. In any case if you've got 4 hours to kill what better way to spend it on the spectacle that is Cleopatra.

[elbobo]

Uncharted

 

Based on the both professional and audience reviews I was expecting this to be a lot worse than it was. Outside of the major casting mistakes of Nate and Sully it was about what you think an Uncharted movie would be, they are great games but I don't think anyone is expecting them to translate into high art on the big screen.

 

6/10

[EternallDarkness]

Finally watched Last Night in Soho.. Was totally exhausted but forced myself to stay up and finish it. Wild trip/10

[elbobo]

Moonfall

 

You know it is going to be dumb you are unprepared for how catastrophically dumb it really is, just a true achievement in awful and not so bad its funny to laugh at just so so bad.

 

1/10

[Phaseknox]

I just finished the first season and the two available episodes of season 2 of Reservation Dogs, and I enjoyed it especially the second half of season 1 and the two episodes of season 2. It’s a good mix of comedy and drama, and it’s different from a lot of other shows.

[TwinIon]

The Crime of the Century - 8/10

 

A two part doc by Alex Gibney focusing on the companies behind the opioid crisis that matches the high quality you expect from a Gibney film. The film isn't revelatory for anyone who has read up on the subject, but it's still an excellent case for putting the blame pretty squarely on the drug companies, especially Purdue. Even knowing most of the info beforehand, it's difficult to watch and not get angry. Angry at the pharma companies reaping profits while destroying lives, and anger at a government and political system that allowed them to do it.

 

Again, I've read enough on the subject that most of the film wasn't exactly new, but I found the film helpful in laying out the timeline of the whole crisis. Somehow I hadn't realized that OxyContin was only developed and sold in the 90s. I also wish that the doc would have spent a bit more time on Fentanyl, but that's a personal preference in that I have read less about it and it's the core of the current crisis.

 

Overall, a worthwhile watch, if you don't mind brewing some more hatred in your heart.

[Keyser_Soze]

 

When the Devil Calls Your Name: 7/10

 

This show is about a failed musician, Seo Dong cheon, who sells his soul to the devil in order to become rich and successful. He is reborn (in a way) as a guy named Harib. His dreams have come true but he's towards the end of his 10 year contract. However, he finds out that most (if not all) of the songs he's written are plagiarized so he calls BS on the deal and is able to extend the deal if he can help the Devil sing and bring him a "Grade One Soul." He develops a relationship with a girl, Yi-Kyung, that turns out is one of the people he has plagiarized. She is certainly one of the pure souls he's looking for. Not only has Harib stolen her music she's lead a difficult life, a victim of child abuse, sent to prison at a young age for defending herself from her father, paralyzing him in the process, she has the cloud of being a "murderer" hanging over her. But Harib takes her under his wing seemingly to right his wrongs but ultimately is is to cultivate her soul for his own benefit. At the same time there are a lot of people coming out of the woodwork who are fans of his old music. Harib is facing a crisis because he essentially abandoned his old life because he figured he had no fans, but the thing is about modern times, anyone of any age can listen to music from any time and become a fan regardless of when it was first released.

 

Early on the show is actually pretty enjoyable. It felt like an 8 mile type of show. Seeing a down and out person rise to the top of the music world. Unfortunately, it doesn't stay that way. Personally the main character is a pretty selfish person, sure he was desperate early on but he is so arrogant all the way to the end I never really felt he redeems himself. It goes from a show that is a bit lighthearted with some dark spots to a total letdown. It feels like the focus turned to the lore behind the devil and the angels and a bunch of other depressive stuff rather than continuing or resolving issues that set the show up to be enjoyable in the first place. There were plenty of avenues that the show sets up that it could have taken but I felt it took a wrong turn sometime down the line and really never made it back.

 

 

[Spoiler Time (Because none of you will watch this)]  Harib made this deal with the devil, he went scorched earth. He had a son and didn't give a fuck. He didn't care about destroying this girl's life he could only think about himself, like he couldn't bear to go back to his old life. But the twist is Yi Kyung had met Seo Dong Cheong in the past, and was actually a fan of his music. His son that he abandoned also came to Korea (his mother and he left for Montenegro) to meet his dad, someone he'd wanted to see his whole life. But he never actually sits down and explains who he is, even to the very end, even when the kid is dying. I feel like a full redemption would him being truthful about who he is. Also as I said, at some point the show becomes gods vs devils to the point they bust out what are essentially lightsabers and I think that was the low point of the show. Harib lives with a Judge (he has amnesia until later) but I thought for sure it was going to set up a thing where he finds a way to invalidate his contract and free the souls but instead he slashes a tree and passes out in the desert. Not very satisfying.

 

Also, this intro makes the show feel a lot more sinister than it really is.  (And that's all I have to say about the show)

 

 

[johnny]

Resurrection 4/5 

 

rebecca hall really loves being in twisted shit 

[Keyser_Soze]

 

Lone Survivor: 7/10

 

Lone Survivor is based on a true story of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell. You could probably glean from the title that Luttrell is the only one to survive the operation. It is written and directed by Peter Berg and it feels like Peter Berg the movie. The film shows off all his distinct characteristics, the shaky cam, the Explosions in the Sky soundtrack and well I guess that's everything. It follows a military operation of four SEALs sent to capture Ahmad Shah, a Taliban militia leader (at least in real life) but the operation goes wrong when some goat herders find the four SEALs in the mountain and Taliban soldiers engage them in battle.

 

The film rings a big hollow for me. It seems to be an overall celebration of the SEALs and survival leaving the "politics" of the situation at the doorstep. Right off the bat the film begins almost like a propaganda piece showing how Navy SEALs train, are we supposed to be impressed here or repulsed? Of course the SEALs are very proud people and the movie shows off that kind of spirit. However, it never takes a hard stance on the war as a whole. It doesn't really go beyond these guys are fighting for each other to get out of here. A lot of it feels conveniently Hollywood as well, while it is based on a true story, it is hard to believe that these villagers went out of their way to fight the Taliban at the kind of scale that is shown in the movie, along with a lot of things towards the end. This part also feels like a "see not all these people are bad people" type of moment while conveniently placing the blame  on the goat herders at the beginning for ratting them out. Supposedly, a lot of this did not happen IRL. In any case Lone Survivor shines in it's brutal depiction of a battle but lacks any sort of bite in any other area.