Recently Watched Movies 2022

[nwhoopfan]

Finally watched "Top Gun Maverick." I certainly enjoyed it, but I must totally be missing something. I can't believe how hyped up this movie was, the experience did not match the fanfare for me. Mav trying to reconcile with Goose's son was compelling. The romance felt totally shoehorned in and out of place. Mav and Iceman sharing a moment together felt like it was totally for the nostalgia and was given so little screen time, it didn't really fit either. We got some character development with the new crop of hotshot pilots, but not that much, then it was a rush to get to the mission. And why does no one seem to be picking apart how ludicrous some of the plot was? We practically had a "let go and use the Force, Luke" kind of moment in this, only there's no Force to use. In addition to borrowing from Star Wars, then we got a VERY condensed version of "Behind Enemy Lines" squeezed in. There were probably even a few dashes of "Stealth" thrown in here. It was entertaining, but the many reviews making it out to be one of the best movies ever make me wonder if others saw a different film than I did. For me, Kosinski's previous film w/ Cruise "Oblivion" was much better. Nostalgia is a powerful drug y'all.


Okay, had to look up the director on IMDB. He did "Only the Brave." That was a massively superior film to this. Interestingly Miles Teller and Jennifer Connelly were both in that.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Black Adam. Wife wanted to go to the movies. So, the Rock stars as Teth Adam (new name comes at the end) an ancient hero given powers by the "council of wizards" (Shazam backstory). Sarah Shahi is the lovely leading lady/mom/researcher. It starts with a ten minute backstory that could have been a movie. This is what DC does wrong over and over. Cut to today and evil corpo types are controlling some country that may be the Middle East or may be North Africa (like a DC Wakanda). Teth Adam is released by the researcher, wipes the floor with people, and the Justice Society is called in. Mistake two here. I watched most of the crappy DC movies, so I know who "Waller" is. Most people don't and it isn't explained. Nor that Hawkman keeps being reincarnated forever. Aldis Hodge is ok an overly angry Hawkman, who needs a few beers. Pierce Brosnan is dashing as Dr. Fate (who is kind of Dr. Strange). Quintessa Swindell is Cylcone, new hero and is wow pretty in this. Some dude is "Atom Smasher" the dorkiest superhero ever. I think they were going for Peter Parker teen angst and missed wildly. Anyway, Justice Society fight Adam, lose. Eventually talk Adam down from his anger (which they finally explain). Then worse guy shows up, and they need Adam to put him down. There are several good lines, and chuckles, it's not entirely unenjoyable, but it's probably 3 movies compressed and pieced together so that none of it makes sense as a single story.

If you ever sat through Zach Snyder's incredibly long director cut of Justice League (I did) it stands out how much better he made it by making it 4 freaking hours long. You see just how much backstory is cut (an hour and a half). DC does this over and over again. This movie relies on backstory from that, and from Shazam (which is probably the most fun DC movie). They just do a terrible job of connecting the dots. Somebody over there just doesn't get it.

 

[HuskyHawk]

All Quiet on the Western Front. Netflix. German with subtitles. Cinematically gorgeous, even when portraying ugly, horrible things, which is most of the time. Flares over a smoke filled stretch of battlefield for example. Daniel Bruhl is the only actor that is well known here, but the cast does a really good job. What it does well, as any good WWI movie should, is strip away any false sense of glory from the reality of war. The kids signing up early in the film thought they'd see glory and honor, and were met with cold, death, mud and relentless horror. I liked 1917 better, it's more entertaining and novel, but it was refreshing to see this one from the German perspective. Unlike WWII, there really weren't good or bad guys in this war. Long, a bit slow at times, but recommended. Also recommend the Museum of the Great War if you are in France (we stopped on the way from Paris to Bruges).

 

[storrsroars]

All Quiet on the Western Front. Netflix. German with subtitles. Cinematically gorgeous, even when portraying ugly, horrible things, which is most of the time. Flares over a smoke filled stretch of battlefield for example. Daniel Bruhl is the only actor that is well known here, but the cast does a really good job. What it does well, as any good WWI movie should, is strip away any false sense of glory from the reality of war. The kids signing up early in the film thought they'd see glory and honor, and were met with cold, death, mud and relentless horror. I liked 1917 better, it's more entertaining and novel, but it was refreshing to see this one from the German perspective. Unlike WWII, there really weren't good or bad guys in this war. Long, a bit slow at times, but recommended. Also recommend the Museum of the Great War if you are in France (we stopped on the way from Paris to Bruges).

After having been to Flanders and taking a WW1 tour, I'm very critical of movies that don't depict the total wasteland and harsh conditions in the trenches. This movie captures that very well. The few moments of humor once the horrors of war sink in are dark, borne of desperation. The movie was as depressing as the book as it should be.

 

[HuskyHawk]

After having been to Flanders and taking a WW1 tour, I'm very critical of movies that don't depict the total wasteland and harsh conditions in the trenches. This movie captures that very well. The few moments of humor once the horrors of war sink in are dark, borne of desperation. The movie was as depressing as the book as it should be.

Agreed. I don't think the movie needs to be depressing to convey that. 1917 was tense, taught and you felt more of the fear. Wipers Times was funny, but was indeed conveying the reality of misery and honestly, stupidity or the war.

 

[storrsroars]

Agreed. I don't think the movie needs to be depressing to convey that. 1917 was tense, taught and you felt more of the fear. Wipers Times was funny, but was indeed conveying the reality of misery and honestly, stupidity or the war.

My point was more that the book was as depressing as they come for war books, and the movie stayed true to that instead of lightening up the story.

 

[CL82]

I watched Glengarry Glen Ross for the first time. Sure I’d seen that coffee‘s for closers scenes many times, but I had never watched the movie. Have to say the David Mamet dialogue is great and Jack Lemmon really kills his role, though everyone is very good. I don’t know what I was expecting, but what happened wasn’t it.

Good movie.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Enola Holmes 2. Netflix. Millie Bobby Brown (Enola), Henry Cavill (Sherlock), Helena Bonham Carter (their mother) and Louis Partridge (Tewkesbury). They paid Millie quite a bit for this. Picks up where the other left off, more or less. There is some flashback/backstory for anyone who didn't see the original. Stylistically, it's like the first one, which uses the Ferris Bueller approach of the lead character narrating to the audience at times. It was more effective in the first movie but still works. It's not as fun or clever as the original, but is still pretty good. There is a Sherlock Holmes style mystery to be solved, and Moriarty is introduced. There's a real event at the heart of this story, the Matchgirls’ Strike of 1888. There's something endearing about the character Enola that carries it, so credit to Millie for that.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The Greatest Beer Run Ever. Apple, 2022. Wife got me this book, but I didn't get to reading it. Based on a true story. Zac Efron (Chickie Donohue), Bill Murray, Russell Crowe. It's 1967 in New York City, and a group of people keep seeing their friends and neighbors die in Vietnam. The reactions to this vary quite a bit. Zac Efron is a merchant marine home from his last voyage. While at a bar, he and his friends are talking about how to support the guys they know still in Nam, including one good friend who is MIA. Efron says he'll get on a merchant ship headed for Vietnam and bring them beers. All cheer, but since he's lazy and doesn't follow through they don't expect him to. Those boys' moms and siblings give him things to bring them. Guilted by all of this he checks, and indeed can get on a boat. Loaded up with PBR, he does just that, and proceeds to try to bring his friends beers. This is enjoyable, and often funny. It's also useful to see how Chickie comes to understand the reality of the war in Vietnam. The level of bureaucracy and idiocy around what's going on is quite funny. I don't want to spoil that.

 

[Palatine]

Enola Holmes 2. Netflix. Millie Bobby Brown (Enola), Henry Cavill (Sherlock), Helena Bonham Carter (their mother) and Louis Partridge (Tewkesbury). They paid Millie quite a bit for this. Picks up where the other left off, more or less. There is some flashback/backstory for anyone who didn't see the original. Stylistically, it's like the first one, which uses the Ferris Bueller approach of the lead character narrating to the audience at times. It was more effective in the first movie but still works. It's not as fun or clever as the original, but is still pretty good. There is a Sherlock Holmes style mystery to be solved, and Moriarty is introduced. There's a real event at the heart of this story, the Matchgirls’ Strike of 1888. There's something endearing about the character Enola that carries it, so credit to Millie for that.

I watched it with my sister. She liked it. It didn't feel like an "A" movie. Felt more like your basic BBC fare. Not terrible, not great.

 

[CL82]

Children of a Lesser God (1986)

I’ve never watched this movie and I am not a huge melodrama fan, but I have to say it was pretty good. The premise is that a teacher (William Heart) at a school for the deaf is intrigued by the deaf janitor (21-year-old Marlee Matlin) who refuses to talk. He tries to convince her to let him teach her how to talk and she refuses. After a single day he stalks her while she is swimming naked in a pool and tells her that he loves her. Creepy? You bet, but I think we’re supposed to ignore that. The tension between the two of them worth her refusal to speak and his desire to help her is a proxy for excepting people as they are.

It one multiple Academy Awards including best picture and best actress for Marlee Matlin.

 

[Dove]

Carbon Copy (1981) - Saw the second half of this film I had never heard of. HYSTERICAL!!!!

George Segal is a high-falootin' executive when his 17-yo illegitimate sone, Denzel Washington shows up. Suddenly, his wife dumps him, he gets fired, loses everything but the money in his wallet.

Life sucks for a couple of days while him and his son try and rebound.

Many laughs.

 

[Deadrody]

Marvel just keeps sinking to new lows. "Thor: Love and Thunder" was awful. Just so dumb. Buffoonish. Not funny even though they tried way to hard to be. Gorr could've been a good villain in a different movie but was wasted here. Everything was a waste. Taika Waititi is dead to me after this mess. But Guns N Roses must've made a boatload of money off this stinker, I think at least 4 of their songs were featured. And we got Dio's "Rainbows in the Dark" playing during the end credits, so at least it had that going for it. Disney really is out to murder the golden goose with the MCU.

I liked it, but it was a bit of a mess. It seems to me there is a trend with some movies of late to spend too much time rapidly setting up the entire movie. Much like that last of the new Star Wars movies where they had to re-tell a lot of the story to reset from the Last Jedi debacle. This Thor movie suffered badly from that. Once it settled into the story, it was at least decent. But that first 30-40 minutes was hectic and shoddy. A lot of George Lucas-esque quick half-assed takes cobbled together. I really enjoy movies that can pull you in with a slow burn style. This is the exact opposite, and for me, a huge turn off.

 

[Deadrody]

Finally watched "Top Gun Maverick." I certainly enjoyed it, but I must totally be missing something. I can't believe how hyped up this movie was, the experience did not match the fanfare for me. Mav trying to reconcile with Goose's son was compelling. The romance felt totally shoehorned in and out of place. Mav and Iceman sharing a moment together felt like it was totally for the nostalgia and was given so little screen time, it didn't really fit either. We got some character development with the new crop of hotshot pilots, but not that much, then it was a rush to get to the mission. And why does no one seem to be picking apart how ludicrous some of the plot was? We practically had a "let go and use the Force, Luke" kind of moment in this, only there's no Force to use. In addition to borrowing from Star Wars, then we got a VERY condensed version of "Behind Enemy Lines" squeezed in. There were probably even a few dashes of "Stealth" thrown in here. It was entertaining, but the many reviews making it out to be one of the best movies ever make me wonder if others saw a different film than I did. For me, Kosinski's previous film w/ Cruise "Oblivion" was much better. Nostalgia is a powerful drug y'all.


Okay, had to look up the director on IMDB. He did "Only the Brave." That was a massively superior film to this. Interestingly Miles Teller and Jennifer Connelly were both in that.

Tend to agree, but the last half hour of the movie made it for me. The first three quarters was very nostalgic and formulaic and if it had just ended there, I would have been similarly disappointed. Instead, they went off script and it ended on a very high note IMO.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Went last night with my daughter, home from college. There is an element of tribute to Chadwick Boseman here, and I think that’s fine. The story is mostly pretty decent, although the overselling of technology and “vibranium“ is a bit much. It’s a metal people. The new MIT genius is ok I guess. If any of you remember the old Sub-Mariner (Namor) from the comics, well he makes his arrival in this. They changed his backstory and made him a sort of bad guy. Wakanda is in trouble because it won’t do what he wants and battle ensues. They need a new Black Panther to take on Namor, who will it be. Cinematography is pretty good, CGI and otherwise. I do appreciate the colors in Africa and in this one, in Haiti. Costumes are excellent.

 

[Palatine]

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Went last night with my daughter, home from college. There is an element of tribute to Chadwick Boseman here, and I think that’s fine. The story is mostly pretty decent, although the overselling of technology and “vibranium“ is a bit much. It’s a metal people. The new MIT genius is ok I guess. If any of you remember the old Sub-Mariner (Namor) from the comics, well he makes his arrival in this. They changed his backstory and made him a sort of bad guy. Wakanda is in trouble because it won’t do what he wants and battle ensues. They need a new Black Panther to take on Namor, who will it be. Cinematography is pretty good, CGI and otherwise. I do appreciate the colors in Africa and in this one, in Haiti. Costumes are excellent.

Namor was always sort of the bad guy in the original Fantastic Four comics. He has a thing for Suzie and she liked him too. That set up a romantic triangle between The Submariner, the Invisible Girl and Mr. Fantastic. Great stuff. Namor didn't like the land people because they were screwing up the ocean. Have NOT seen WF, but the original Namor back story always had him as sort of a bad guy, he was definitely a heavy.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Namor was always sort of the bad guy in the original Fantastic Four comics. He has a thing for Suzie and she liked him too. That set up a romantic triangle between The Submariner, the Invisible Girl and Mr. Fantastic. Great stuff. Namor didn't like the land people because they were screwing up the ocean. Have NOT seen WF, but the original Namor back story always had him as sort of a bad guy, he was definitely a heavy.

That fits with this. They changed his back story a bit but he’s kinda of a heavy, but not evil. This movie is pretty decent really.

 

[nwhoopfan]

"Slumberland" on Netflix. A bit goofy, and loud and chaotic at times, but I enjoyed it. Jason Momoa was totally hamming it up. Chris O'Dowd and Kyle Chandler are always solid. The young actress they got for the lead--Marlow Barkley--I was unfamiliar with. To me she bears an uncanny resemblance to Saoirse Ronan when she was around that age (see her in "City of Ember" for comparison).

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Murder Mystery (2019). Netflix.

Another enjoyable Netflix/Sandler collaboration.

A fun, light comedy/murder mystery movie that is led by the very funny banter between married couple Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston.

This whodunit's best strength is its wide range of memorable characters, plus its shot nicely with most of the scenes taking place in Monaco.

It's funny, it's light and overall a fun and enjoyable 90 minutes, which was needed after yet another holiday with unnecessary family drama.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Went to the theater for the first time in forever with my folks today, saw "Devotion." It was good. Really more of a character study than a war movie. I continue to really like Glen Powell. Johnathan Majors was good in the other starring role.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. Disney+. This is 44 minutes long, so not quite a movie. Has almost everyone from Guardians, plus one special guest apearance (not from MCU). Mantis and Drax hear some of the story about Peter’s first Christmas in space as a kid, and decide to return to earth to get him a special present. This short opens and closes with the Pogues, Fairytale of New York. Anytime something starts with “It was Christmas Eve, babe, in the drunk tank”, you probably have something good, and it is. This is really funny and clever and they absolutely nailed it.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: End Game (2019)

I'm not a Marvel guy, I find all that stuff boring, but my 9 and 11 year old nephew are obsessed and are dying for me to wath the movies.

So as a way to bond this holiday weekend, we had them over, ordered pizza (Colony for my wife and I and Dominos for the unsophisticated palates of preteens) and watched both movies.

Overall, I was mostly bored, as expected, and fell asleep halfway through Endgame, but I did appreciate the production value: the colors were beautiful and the landscapes were incredible, like a LOT of time and care was put into this movie.

Downey as Iron Man was my favorite character and was amazing at the vast cast of both movies. On the plus side, Elizabeth Olsen is a celebrity crush of mine while Scarlett Johansson was one of the past, both of which are supported by my wife who shares their Nordic heritage, so there's that.

If I had kids, I can see the interest in these movies, especially if your kids are jazzed about Marvel, but respectfully, these aren't for me, but I totally get their widespread appeal.

 

[CL82]

Moonfall (2022)

Pretty much ten gallons of suck in a one gallon container. The plot is, and unsurprisingly, that the moon is falling because a bunch of homicidal nanobots are sucking up energy from the dwarf white star that powers its gyroscope. What? If only our intrepid heros can restart their gyro the moon would immediately go back into orbit. Huh? Interestingly, that’s not even the biggest stretch to the laws of physics in the movie. As the moon passes over the earth, it’s gravity cancels out the much larger earths gravity and starts sucking things off the much larger planet. How does that work exactly? Spoiler (kind of ) alert: eventually the moon does nick the earth shearing off a mountain top just as the Gyro gets restarted and the moon goes back in the orbit.
I’m not a scientist or anything, but wouldn’t gravity be an issue there? Never mind the fact that a bunch of moondust manages to shear off the top of a granite mountain with hardly scratch to the moon. If you are a science-fiction fan you’ve probably seen a senior to with Scotty from Star Trek complaining to Captain Kirk that he “cannot change the laws of physics“. The writers of this movie did not in any way feel so constrained.

There are other little stupid plot points, like a family using oxygen tanks because, somehow, the moon has depleted earths oxygen. The dad nobably gives up his mask for his daughter and then tells her to keep walking straight and not look back as he slowly suffocate on the ground. Hello? Ever hear of buddy breathing? Just walk together and take a head off the oxygen as you need it. Frankly, I think Darwin would have approved of the father’s death.

For as lame as the plot is you would think that the acting would shine in comparison to it. Nope. It is absolutely wooden and the actors seem utterly disinterested with a ‘give me my check so I can get the eph away from this show’ attitude. Halle Berry is mildly attractive so there’s that. Michael Pena plays the IQ challenged dad. I didn’t recognize anyone else.

Unless you are a masochist, this is a movie to avoid.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Slumberland. Netflix. The trailers for this are awful. They make it seem like a completely different (worse) movie. This is incredibly sweet and heart warming. It's also fairly cleverly done. The lead is an 11 year old girl (who does look like a young Saorise Ronan) who lives in a lighthouse with her dad. The catch is that she begins to go on adventures in her dreams (Slumberland) and meets a roguish "outlaw" Flip, who was a character in stories her dad told her about his wilder, youthful days. Really enjoyed this as one of the nicest family movies in a long time.

 

[Dove]

Nope (2022) - We enjoyed this one a lot. Totally captivatng. An unmoving cloud houses an alien ship that occasionaly comes out and vacuums the Earth of humans, then regurtitates metal objects and blood. A great cerebral battle ensues.

The Swimmers (2022) - Cute movie about two Syrian sisters and a cousin who leave Damascus amid war and become refugees looking to get to Germany. The sisters are world-class swimmers and the youngest has dreams of being an Olympian and representing Syria. The movie slowly has the viewer experience the long journey and succssfully shows how tough things were.

She eventually gets to the Olympics, but as a representative of the newly-created Refugee Olympic Team. She did it in 2016 and 2020.