Recently Watched Movies 2024

[HuskyHawk]

Argyle. Free now on Apple. Stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill with other big names in small roles. You don’t want spoilers here because there’s a lot that happens as this movie unfolds. It’s about 20 minutes too long, but otherwise it’s enjoyable. Bryce Dallas Howard is an interesting choice here, she’d be perfect about 25 pounds agp and works for some of the movie but maybe not all. Rockwell adds some comedic elements. Not great but not bad either.

 

[ZooCougar]

Argyle. Free now on Apple. Stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill with other big names in small roles. You don’t want spoilers here because there’s a lot that happens as this movie unfolds. It’s about 20 minutes too long, but otherwise it’s enjoyable. Bryce Dallas Howard is an interesting choice here, she’d be perfect about 25 pounds agp and works for some of the movie but maybe not all. Rockwell adds some comedic elements. Not great but not bad either.

Literally turned it off. It’s impossibly stupid.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I saw Anyone but You on a plane. It is everything wrong with romcoms. I don't need to provide examples, you can come up with them yourself even if you didn't see the movie. Powell and Sweeney spend most of the movie barely dressed which is the only reason I can think of for the $200+ million gross. This movie sucks.

I've been known to ignore a good warning. I was curious so watched it anyway. Yeah, not very good. You have to suspend disbelief to some degree with rom coms normally, but in this one pretty much every character was acting in such an unbelievable manner at every turn, and most of the dialogue was just so bad. I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't.

 

[ZooCougar]

Civil War:

The movie probably isn't about what you think it might be. It's trying to be an honest portrayal of what the violence you see on the news in Ukraine and Israel or anywhere would like like here.

This is a road trip movie that bears a ton of similarity to Apocalypse now and Heart of Darkness. A group of combat/war journalists are racing to get to DC so that they can interview and photograph the President before the Western Alliance kills him. Along the way they encounter people and places that show us how badly the nation has unraveled, while it's clear that other parts are trying to pretend that nothing is happening. The violence and dysfunction that they encounter is contrasted by the mentality of this group of "pure" reporters. They take pictures of what is happening and then let other people decide what it all means and what is right and wrong. For them it is all about getting the shot. This is the subtle cleverness in this film. Because people going into it expected one thing, but instead got an examination of Journalism Ethics and a somewhat questionable statement that journalists are now the only sane people left.

The writer smartly shuffled things up. Floriduh, Texas and California seceded. The split doesn't seem to happen on the lines that would make sense through the lense of our current politics, its not Red or Blue, left or right. In fact, since both sides seem to be wearing the same uniforms (with one exception) they went out of their way to make things seem as ambiguous as possible. Both sides are not above committing what most people would agree are war crimes.

To give another really specific example, there is gun battle scene between one group of troops and another group of Bros wearing Hawaiian shirts. If you don't know, Hawaiian shirts have become de riguer among groups of white supremacist militias. But in this movie the Bros are led by an Asian and has some African Americans in it.

I think the purpose behind the shirts was twofold. It's meant to jumble things up and to be stick in the eye to the wackjobs.

The President is clearly a Totalitarian who abolished the FBI and bombed American Citizens and we don't know why and we do now he's on his third consecutive term. He resembles most of the Totalitarian Dictators that you know of. The opposition takes no prisoners and they are fabulously equipped. Texas is one of the main players. And I thought one really brilliant touch of authenticity was that many of their helicopters had 1st Cavalry Division markings all over. And yes that's exactly what it sounds like to be under a bunch of CH-47s doing their thing. But all of the helos were CGI so the effects were pretty amazing.

 

[storrsroars]

Was housesitting in a McMansion with every conceivable premium channel this week, so had the chance to watch "American Fiction" (MGM+) last night. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Jeffrey Wright is one of those actors who pretty much only plays Jeffrey Wright, but he pretty much always makes great choices on which films to do. He was well-cast and superb here, as was his supporting cast. There are a couple of genuine belly laughs, and the story goes pretty much as expected once you realize what Wright's character is trying to do and somehow finds success when it's the last thing he wanted. This is one I'd watch again. Excellent script, even though many of the white actors are caricatures of the worst progressive woke d-bags imaginable (and yet still believable, because, well we all know one or two).

 

[nwhoopfan]

I'd meant to watch "Reptile" on Netflix earlier, but never got around to it til now. Good slow burn with several good performances. I sniffed out that one of the key players didn't seem quite right early on, but didn't realize the full extent of it.


When did Justin Timberlake finally stop being such a baby face? He went from passing for 20 something to looking kinda old overnight it seems like.

 

[Palatine]

Real Steel (2011). I watched this again the other night after stumbling upon it. It is an well made movie with good performances from A-list actors, good special efforts, cinematography, sound and editing. The story is formula but compelling. This is a very solid film with a lot of heart. A sweet story in a sci-fi shell that is well told. Great chemistry between the actors. Fun and appropriate for all audiences --that is very rare these days. The universe in this film is pretty flawless. You really do believe that you are watching robots fight. I liked it. Three stars out of four.

There have been rumblings about a sequel since its release. But I think it will actually get done in the near future.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I've been known to ignore a good warning. I was curious so watched it anyway. Yeah, not very good. You have to suspend disbelief to some degree with rom coms normally, but in this one pretty much every character was acting in such an unbelievable manner at every turn, and most of the dialogue was just so bad. I wanted to like it, but I just couldn't.

I am generally gentle on romcoms, because they are not trying to be the Godfather. A romcom has to really suck for me to hate it.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I am generally gentle on romcoms, because they are not trying to be the Godfather. A romcom has to really suck for me to hate it.

So...did you know this was a liberal retelling/updating of "Much Ado About Nothing?" I didn't, til yesterday.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Civil War:

The movie probably isn't about what you think it might be. It's trying to be an honest portrayal of what the violence you see on the news in Ukraine and Israel or anywhere would like like here.

This is a road trip movie that bears a ton of similarity to Apocalypse now and Heart of Darkness. A group of combat/war journalists are racing to get to DC so that they can interview and photograph the President before the Western Alliance kills him. Along the way they encounter people and places that show us how badly the nation has unraveled, while it's clear that other parts are trying to pretend that nothing is happening. The violence and dysfunction that they encounter is contrasted by the mentality of this group of "pure" reporters. They take pictures of what is happening and then let other people decide what it all means and what is right and wrong. For them it is all about getting the shot. This is the subtle cleverness in this film. Because people going into it expected one thing, but instead got an examination of Journalism Ethics and a somewhat questionable statement that journalists are now the only sane people left.

The writer smartly shuffled things up. Floriduh, Texas and California seceded. The split doesn't seem to happen on the lines that would make sense through the lense of our current politics, its not Red or Blue, left or right. In fact, since both sides seem to be wearing the same uniforms (with one exception) they went out of their way to make things seem as ambiguous as possible. Both sides are not above committing what most people would agree are war crimes.

To give another really specific example, there is gun battle scene between one group of troops and another group of Bros wearing Hawaiian shirts. If you don't know, Hawaiian shirts have become de riguer among groups of white supremacist militias. But in this movie the Bros are led by an Asian and has some African Americans in it.

I think the purpose behind the shirts was twofold. It's meant to jumble things up and to be stick in the eye to the wackjobs.

The President is clearly a Totalitarian who abolished the FBI and bombed American Citizens and we don't know why and we do now he's on his third consecutive term. He resembles most of the Totalitarian Dictators that you know of. The opposition takes no prisoners and they are fabulously equipped. Texas is one of the main players. And I thought one really brilliant touch of authenticity was that many of their helicopters had 1st Cavalry Division markings all over. And yes that's exactly what it sounds like to be under a bunch of CH-47s doing their thing. But all of the helos were CGI so the effects were pretty amazing.

I like Wagner Moura and will probably watch it when it gets to streaming, but the clips I have seen make it feel like a right wing revenge fantasy justification for their violent behavior.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I always struggle with the premise of apocalyptic, dystopian movies. It usually revolves around some sort of authoritarian leader either overthrowing the status quo or being the target of those doing the overthrowing. A much more interesting premise would be a full-blown financial collapse. If you want to see the wheels really come off a society, run that scenario.

 

[ZooCougar]

I like Wagner Moura and will probably watch it when it gets to streaming, but the clips I have seen make it feel like a right wing revenge fantasy justification for their violent behavior.

You’re such a dufus.

 

[Palatine]

Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver. The is nothing remotely new or interesting about this movie. No twists, no turns, no surprises, no nothing. Just fighting and high end special effects. Spoiler (if that's even possible) the bad guys show up and the good guys defeat them. You know exactly what is going to happen and it does.

 

[ZooCougar]

I always struggle with the premise of apocalyptic, dystopian movies. It usually revolves around some sort of authoritarian leader either overthrowing the status quo or being the target of those doing the overthrowing. A much more interesting premise would be a full-blown financial collapse. If you want to see the wheels really come off a society, run that scenario.

Honestly. Without giving away any spoilers, I would say with the way the film ends it’s the exact opposite of what you say.

The previews of this movie are wildly different than what the movie actually is.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The Lodgers. Irish film in the horror genre, but more creepy and weird than anything. It's well filmed and doesn't look low budget. Charlotte Vega is the lead (and...wow) as Rachel, a young woman living in a large manor house with her brother Edward. They're alone and from a young age learned of a curse and three rules they must follow. They are prisoners to the house in many respects. Rachel meets Sean (Eugene Simon, who was Lancel Lanister) while picking up supplies at a shop. He's recently back from WWI (which the local Irish are not happy about, since they are "at war" with the English). They too have obvious chemistry. The rest plays out as Rachel tried to escape the curse with Sean. There's a really creepy undercurrent to the story that's a spoiler of sorts. It's ok. Could have been better.

 

[DRBackup]

...the clips I have seen make it feel like a right wing revenge fantasy justification for their violent behavior.

Nah. There is literally nothing about this movie that aligns with any current event or the political factions as they are IRL, seemingly intentionally so. How on earth in a US civil war do the journalists imagine they are the "good guys". That is enough to wave me off any interest in seeing this foolishness.

 

[DRBackup]

Argyle. Free now on Apple. Stars Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill with other big names in small roles. You don’t want spoilers here because there’s a lot that happens as this movie unfolds. It’s about 20 minutes too long, but otherwise it’s enjoyable. Bryce Dallas Howard is an interesting choice here, she’d be perfect about 25 pounds agp and works for some of the movie but maybe not all. Rockwell adds some comedic elements. Not great but not bad either.

The funny thing is, for the first half to two thirds of the movie I kept seeing glimpses of it, that she looked extra thick. But the last 1/3 of the movie went completely off the rails. I get that her outfit / look was supposed to be a throwback to the character from her book and the opening of the movie, but I don't know how anyone, BDH included, could look at her in that getup and think they should have rolled with it. Talk about being dragged out of any notion of "suspending disbelief". Even given the level of silly action on screen, her getup at that point was by far the biggest W T F ? moment of them all.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Just saw part II of Alienoid on hoopla. Pretty crazy, but entertaining. This reminded me a bit of Stephen Chow's films. Big action movie with plenty of FX, but a lot of emphasis on comedic elements, almost like live action Bugs Bunny or Roadrunner.

 

[nwhoopfan]

"Shadow in the Cloud"...I was with it for a while. B grade but decent set up, had me interested. Then it went completely bonkers. It seemed like there were a couple different movies competing with each other. And then some stuff that would make Ethan Hunt extremely jealous. Just broke my ability to give it the benefit of the doubt. Chloe Grace Moretz tried really hard to salvage it.

 

[storrsroars]

Watched "Unfrosted" (Netflix), just released today. It's a broad comedy about the creation of Pop-Tarts, co-written and directed by Jerry Seinfeld. I found the first half to be extremely lame comedy-wise. The writing was bad, and we all know Jerry can't act, unless it's being Jerry. I was ready to be severely disappointed given the cast, which featured many well-known comics. The only redemption in the first half was Hugh Grant playing a failed Shakespearean actor who paid his bills by playing Tony the Tiger.

But then the second half happened, and it was far more inspired. Although the overall plotline was still juvenile and stupid, there were some terrific bits featuring Bill Burr as JFK, an unexpected and funny Mad Men subplot, featuring Jon Hamm and John Slattery, and a sendup of Jan 6th, except it's striking cereal mascots overtaking Kellogg's HQ.

If you can make it through the mostly unfunny first half, the second half makes it worth the watch.

 

[CL82]

"Shadow in the Cloud"...I was with it for a while. B grade but decent set up, had me interested. Then it went completely bonkers. It seemed like there were a couple different movies competing with each other. And then some stuff that would make Ethan Hunt extremely jealous. Just broke my ability to give it the benefit of the doubt. Chloe Grace Moretz tried really hard to salvage it.

This movie was my candidate in the worst movies of all time thread.

OT: - Worst movie of all time

 

[HuskyHawk]

Rebel Moon 2 - Scargiver. Netflix. The first one was not good, but was just interesting enough to get through. This one is actually better, at least the first half is. Zack Snyder has this somewhat annoying approach to storytelling. It's not linear. So we get the parts of the story that matter in the first half of this movie. The second half is the expected battle between vastly overmatched farmers and a few heroes against the might of the "empire". Predictable results that are less believable than Luke making the shot that destroys the Death Star.

Side note on absurdity: somehow, a society that has long mastered space travel, is fueling its ships with....coal. I get that they wanted to reinforce "these are the baddies" so they show the black smoke, but come on. Nobody is powering those with anything short of nuclear fusion. Yes, they obliterate cities from orbit, but even worse, they are polluters!

 

[NEforceUConn]

Sorry if this has previously been mentioned.

Kandahar on HULU. Formula script, formula acting. I give it a B-, but worth watching.

 

[nwhoopfan]

This movie was my candidate in the worst movies of all time thread.
View attachment 100370

OT: - Worst movie of all time

Yeah the climbing on the underside of a plane in flight was something else. You forgot the best part though. After clinging by two (broken) fingertips to the edge of a gaping hole where the underbelly turret used to be, she finally lost her grip and fell out of the plane. Landed on the Zero below them just as it exploded, and the force of the explosion blew her right back thru the hole in her plane to a perfect landing on her feet, totally unscathed.

It was also a great example of varying power levels when the barely over 100 lb. woman beat the hell out of the gremlin with her bare hands, the same gremlin that had easily been tearing various metal parts off the plane throughout the movie.

It was also strange how fixated the gremlin was on the baby.

 

[Palatine]

Unfrosted (2024) Much ballybooed Jerry Seinfeld vehicle. He co-wrote, directed and stars. Not very funny. First, it looks like it was shot in an assisted living home. Most of the main cast is either 70 or older. Amy Schumer, at a spry 42, drags down the average age. There are few kids in minor roles. If you haven't heard, it is a fictionalized version of the invention of the Pop Tart. It's silly. There are a few clever moments but not enough to justify anyone siting through it. My wife walked out about half an hour into the story (and we were in bed). Seinfeld is a funny guy, his series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is terrific. He can't act. He cannot carry a movie. Half of one star.