Recently Watched Movies 2021

[storrsroars]

The Guilty. One of those movies you just watch due to process of elimination as you've seen everything else seemingly worthwhile on Netflix. A Jake Gyllenhaal ego trip, he produces and stars and is the sole character on screen for about 90% of the film. It's a remake of a Danish film titled "Den Skyldige". The plot is basically summed up as a corrupt cop awaiting a hearing is demoted to taking calls at a 911 center and things get complicated when he's confronted with a caller that's apparently been kidnapped.

I found JG's acting to be over-the-top at numerous points. The dialogue is also weak at points, which is key as pretty much the entire movie is JG talking on the phone to the woman who called to say she was kidnapped, her husband who is the accused kidnapper, their daughter who's been left home alone, and JG's partner who's another corrupt cop. That said, things did get intense in the latter third of the film and it wasn't a total waste of time.

There is a short voice appearance by Bill Burr, who is a caller who drops a whole lot of F bombs in an incredibly short period of time.

 

[nwhoopfan]

The Guilty

I tried. Shut it down 1/2 or maybe 2/3 of the way thru. Pulling off an entire movie with basically one set and one character is really hard to do, and this didn't quite manage it for me. His behavior as a 911 operator got just a bit too outrageous for me, couldn't suspend disbelief anymore.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Watched Calibre on netflix, 2 Scottish friends go hunting near a small town in the Mountains. Without ruining too much, they end up committing a crime and try and hide it from the locals who start getting aggressively more hostel with them. Wouldnt say it was a horror movie but was part of Netflix's movies for halloween. Thought it was ok.

 

[storrsroars]

I tried. Shut it down 1/2 or maybe 2/3 of the way thru. Pulling off an entire movie with basically one set and one character is really hard to do, and this didn't quite manage it for me. His behavior as a 911 operator got just a bit too outrageous for me, couldn't suspend disbelief anymore.

I get that completely. But I did stick it out, and as I mentioned in my first post on it, the movie did have somewhat of a payoff in the final third, although the final few minutes of the ending was a bit on the trite side.

 

[Waquoit]

Amanda Seyfried is one of the more underrated actresses of her generation.

I think it's because she's not just beautiful, she's sexy.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Saw another Amanda Seyfried movie I'd been skipping for years--"Dear John." Not lighthearted like "Letters to Juliet." Well done though, and worth a watch. Amanda is college student on spring break who meets a soldier, Channing Tatum, who is home on leave. They quickly fall deeply for each other. He has to ship out again and a fair portion of the movie is them writing letters to each other back and forth. This one doesn't have a typical Hollywood ending.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I think it's because she's not just beautiful, she's sexy.

Of course they call it acting for a reason, but I think some portion of an actor's real persona leaks into their performances. There is a sweetness to many of her characters that is just as appealing as her physical appearance for me.

 

[CL82]

Saw another Amanda Seyfried movie I'd been skipping for years--"Dear John." Not lighthearted like "Letters to Juliet." Well done though, and worth a watch. Amanda is college student on spring break who meets a soldier, Channing Tatum, who is home on leave. They quickly fall deeply for each other. He has to ship out again and a fair portion of the movie is them writing letters to each other back and forth. This one doesn't have a typical Hollywood ending.

I like both of those movies largely because of her. Both of those were made in 2010. I confuse her movies with Dakota Fanning's early stuff particularly Please Stand By, which is about an autistic girl's journey to get her script submitted in a Paramount contest. If you Seyfried you might like it.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I like both of those movies largely because of her. Both of those were made in 2010. I confuse her movies with Dakota Fanning's early stuff particularly Please Stand By, which is about an autistic girl's journey to get her script submitted in a Paramount contest. If you Seyfried you might like it.

I saw that, enjoyed that as well. Dakota seemed to have a seamless, drama free transition from child actor to adulthood. I like her sister Elle as well.

 

[Palatine]

Free Guy. 2021.

Imaginative light comedy. This is the kind of character that Ryan Reynolds excels at. Base of the story is rom/com where individualism fights against a society that strictly defines role. Jumps seamlessly between video game and "real" world. Huge, well done special effects. A+ film making. This could have gone horribly wrong but it walks the line between geting too silly or too serious, which is tough with this concept. Good fun, worth watching.

 

[HuskyHawk]

James Bond - No Time to Die. (2021). Watched it on the big screen, 7 people total in the theater. I fear these places will close if people don't start going. This is perhaps the most unusual Bond film. It shares some of depth of character that we get in Skyfall (the best Daniel Craig Bond film, and perhaps the best period). Lea Seydoux is back from Spectre as Bond's love interest, Madeline Swan, and for a nice change, we get a lot of background depth on her character. She's lovely and interesting (and needs Invisalign). This is very much a continuation of Spectre, with some twists from Madeline's past providing the core story. It's a better movie than that one was. Ana de Armas is mesmerizing and stunning in slight departure from the usual "Bond Girl" role as a quite capable CIA agent. Rami Malek is the bad guy, and he's ok. Certainly lacks the creepy intensity that Javier Bardem brought. The scenery is gorgeous, especially Matera, Italy a UNESCO world heritage site that doubled as the Amazon's city in Wonder Woman. Other stunning locations include Norway and the Faroe Islands.

Overall a solid thumb up 3/4. In addition to a solid story, it has the car chases, shootouts, action and a couple of vintage Aston Martins. The V8 Vantage Saloon is fantastic for a 1980's era car.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Forgot the best part of the Bond movie (aside from Ms. de Armas). This quote read by M at the end. It's from Jack London and I find it perfectly attuned to our current time. "The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time."

 

[nwhoopfan]

I must have seen some really bad reviews of "Lying and Stealing" that scared me off when it came out. It's streaming on Netflix. I saw some at least mildly positive reviews of it and decided to give it a chance. It's a decent enough heist/caper movie.

I think I have a default setting to dislike pretty boys. Some of them win me over w/ likable performances. Theo James has become one of those. Emily Ratajkowski is never gonna win any awards, but she's half decent in the right kind of roles, like this one.

 

[dbmill]

The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020) - This film had been high on my list of movies to see, as it sounded intriguing. This movie is billed as a black comedy horror film, but I did not find much humor of any type in this film. The basic set up is that several grisly murders have occurred in the small western town of Snow Hollow, all during periods of a full moon. Because of the association with the full moon, there are suggestions that a character suggested by the title of this film might be involved. One thing I found striking about this film is the even before the murders start and after they occur, no one in this film seems to be capable of getting along with each other or talk to each other in anything resembling a civil tone, including the police and other authorities involved in investigating the murders. I also found what I thought to be a considerable flaw in the logic of the piece when more than one character tries to either defend themselves or when they try to pursue the potential killer. It also doesn't help that the behavior of the lead character is way beyond believability in terms of keeping his employment. I had been somewhat eager to see this move. No doubt because of that, I was very disappointed due to my expectations for this film.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I've been underwhelmed by most of the Netflix originals I've seen lately. "Night Teeth" just came out. I really enjoyed it. Bit of a familiar set up, a driver is tasked w/ whisking a client all over town during the course of a long, crazy night. Usually set in LA. The client might be (probably is) up to something nefarious. Add in vampires for this one. I've seen Lucy Fry as 2 very different vampire characters in 2 different movies, shall I say she slayed in this one? I think she was born to portray a vamp. Debby Ryan was also good as her not quite as wicked friend. Jorge Lendeborg was likable as the protagonist (the driver), understandably completely thrown off by the events unfolding around him. Nice brief cameos by Megan Fox and Sydney Sweeney. Definitely worth a watch.

 

[ZooCougar]

Dune-Gooooooooood and it really needs to be seen in a theatrical setting for best results.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I think "The Protege" slipped mostly under the radar. Some big names in this one--Michael Keaton, Maggie Q, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Patrick. Solid movie. Not wall to wall action, there is some time to let the story breathe.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Watched The Forgotten Battle on Netflix, thought it was good.

 

[storrsroars]

Watched The Forgotten Battle on Netflix, thought it was good.

It was a good watch, cinematography and action were excellent, but not the movie I was expecting.

There were a ton of issues with radio communications that prevented Operation Market Garden from being a complete success, with lots of pockets of Allied troops being left stranded (such as the Canadians on the dike), but this film didn't really get into the communications or logistics issues, rather just focused on three individuals, their experiences leading up to and during the battle, and the outcome. The stories never truly intersect other than in a "passing on the street" way.

I'd be interested in seeing another take on Market Garden with more focus on how all the military logistics components got FUBARed.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

It was a good watch, cinematography and action were excellent, but not the movie I was expecting.

There were a ton of issues with radio communications that prevented Operation Market Garden from being a complete success, with lots of pockets of Allied troops being left stranded (such as the Canadians on the dike), but this film didn't really get into the communications or logistics issues, rather just focused on three individuals, their experiences leading up to and during the battle, and the outcome. The stories never truly intersect other than in a "passing on the street" way.

I'd be interested in seeing another take on Market Garden with more focus on how all the military logistics components got FUBARed.

Didn't know that context, but interesting

 

[ZooCougar]

It was a good watch, cinematography and action were excellent, but not the movie I was expecting.

There were a ton of issues with radio communications that prevented Operation Market Garden from being a complete success, with lots of pockets of Allied troops being left stranded (such as the Canadians on the dike), but this film didn't really get into the communications or logistics issues, rather just focused on three individuals, their experiences leading up to and during the battle, and the outcome. The stories never truly intersect other than in a "passing on the street" way.

I'd be interested in seeing another take on Market Garden with more focus on how all the military logistics components got FUBARed.

Well there was a pretty huge movie called “A Bridge Too Far” made with a crazy good cast. It’s based on the book of the same title.

 

[ZooCougar]

A Bridge Too Far (film) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[ZooCougar]

It was a good watch, cinematography and action were excellent, but not the movie I was expecting.

There were a ton of issues with radio communications that prevented Operation Market Garden from being a complete success, with lots of pockets of Allied troops being left stranded (such as the Canadians on the dike), but this film didn't really get into the communications or logistics issues, rather just focused on three individuals, their experiences leading up to and during the battle, and the outcome. The stories never truly intersect other than in a "passing on the street" way.

I'd be interested in seeing another take on Market Garden with more focus on how all the military logistics components got FUBARed.

The plan was too audacious. The jumps happened, but they weren’t able to consolidate on the objectives. So their audacity became a liability.

 

[storrsroars]

Well there was a pretty huge movie called “A Bridge Too Far” made with a crazy good cast. It’s based on the book of the same title.

You are correct in that that 1977 film was about that battle. Personally, I didn't care for that movie. Lacked the sort of realism we've become accustomed to in later war epics. But good memory bringing it up. I'd forgotten about it.

 

[ZooCougar]

You are correct in that that 1977 film was about that battle. Personally, I didn't care for that movie. Lacked the sort of realism we've become accustomed to in later war epics. But good memory bringing it up. I'd forgotten about it.

It’s not a great movie because it’s more academic than entertainment. But in terms of showing why it was a failure it was bang on.