Recently Watched Movies 2024

[Excalibur]

Finally saw "Inside Out 2." I didn't enjoy it as much as the first one. It was really chaotic and I found my interest waning around halfway thru. They finally brought it home at the end, but overall it just doesn't measure up to what Pixar used to be.

The original was probably peak Pixar (an argument Toy Story 3), so a sequel was never going to measure up. I also found myself disinterested, but I also didn't think they did a great job winding it up at the end, either. While the portrayal of Riley's panic attack was good, there's no connection to how it was controlled.

 

[nwhoopfan]

"Child Star" was a fairly interesting documentary on Hulu. Put together by Demi Lovato. Interviews w/ Drew Barrymore, Christina Ricci, Raven-Symone, Kenan Thompson, JoJo Siwa, Alyson Stoner. Really only glossed over the topic, but looked at the pressures and tendency toward substance abuse and mental health issues suffered by many young stars. Didn't even get into sexual abuse, which is another very large issue I believe. I wasn't aware of how much of a presence some child influencers have on social media, that's kind of like the wild west now, not much regulation, rife with the possibility of parents exploiting their own kids. Touched on that right at the end.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Whoa, "It's What's Inside" is a mind job of the highest magnitude. New on Netflix. I don't entirely understand what happened. I might watch it again, and I probably still won't entirely get it. But it was an interesting ride. Probably shouldn't say much about it to avoid spoiling it for anyone. It starts with kind of a similar set up to "Bodies Bodies Bodies" that I watched recently. Self absorbed group of millennials that were college friends gather at a mansion for a party. Some have kept in closer touch than others. A wildcard that nobody has heard from shows up, was invited but nobody expected him to show. Has a suitcase with some kind of odd high tech "game" they all decide to play. Shouldn't say any more. I don't think anyone will guess where it's going, sure caught me off guard. Didn't know any of the actors, but I thought they all performed well in what were some uniquely challenging roles.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Wolfs. Apple TV. Clooney and Pitt. Those two just pair well. This isn’t as good as Oceans 11 but it’s an entertaining movie with enough action, some humor and a few twists. The kid is hysterical. Don‘t want spoilers so that’s it for the review. Worth a watch.

 

[Palatine]

Beetlejuice (2024). Kinda like the first one.

 

[Jay-Bone]

Whoa, "It's What's Inside" is a mind job of the highest magnitude. New on Netflix. I don't entirely understand what happened. I might watch it again, and I probably still won't entirely get it. But it was an interesting ride. Probably shouldn't say much about it to avoid spoiling it for anyone. It starts with kind of a similar set up to "Bodies Bodies Bodies" that I watched recently. Self absorbed group of millennials that were college friends gather at a mansion for a party. Some have kept in closer touch than others. A wildcard that nobody has heard from shows up, was invited but nobody expected him to show. Has a suitcase with some kind of odd high tech "game" they all decide to play. Shouldn't say any more. I don't think anyone will guess where it's going, sure caught me off guard. Didn't know any of the actors, but I thought they all performed well in what were some uniquely challenging roles.

Wow, what a trip. Refreshingly new concept for a film. Thanks for the rec.

 

[nomar]

Wolfs. Apple TV. Clooney and Pitt. Those two just pair well. This isn’t as good as Oceans 11 but it’s an entertaining movie with enough action, some humor and a few twists. The kid is hysterical. Don‘t want spoilers so that’s it for the review. Worth a watch.

Watchable but just fair

 

[HuskyHawk]

Watchable but just fair

Agree it is no masterpiece. But so much crap now isn't even watchable.

 

[storrsroars]

Agree it is no masterpiece. But so much crap now isn't even watchable.

The two of them could do "My Dinner With Andre" and turn it into a decent comedy.

 

[nomar]

Wow, what a trip. Refreshingly new concept for a film. Thanks for the rec.

OK, I watched his based on what the two of you wrote and dang if you weren't right. It's like Bodies Bodies Bodies meets The Twilight Zone.

"What a trip" is right.

 

[nwhoopfan]

"Girl Haunts Boy" is new on Netflix. A girl died during a high school field trip during the 1920's. Her spirit is still hanging around her house almost 100 years later. A new family moves in, the boy is withdrawn because his dad died recently. They begin to interact, and after the initial shock become friends. I thought it was going to be a comedy, but it's really not. Saccharine sweet, but a decent light drama. I've always liked Peyton List, that's the biggest selling point. Nothing groundbreaking, but entertaining enough.

 

[storrsroars]

Whoa, "It's What's Inside" is a mind job of the highest magnitude. New on Netflix. I don't entirely understand what happened. I might watch it again, and I probably still won't entirely get it. But it was an interesting ride. Probably shouldn't say much about it to avoid spoiling it for anyone. It starts with kind of a similar set up to "Bodies Bodies Bodies" that I watched recently. Self absorbed group of millennials that were college friends gather at a mansion for a party. Some have kept in closer touch than others. A wildcard that nobody has heard from shows up, was invited but nobody expected him to show. Has a suitcase with some kind of odd high tech "game" they all decide to play. Shouldn't say any more. I don't think anyone will guess where it's going, sure caught me off guard. Didn't know any of the actors, but I thought they all performed well in what were some uniquely challenging roles.

 

[nwhoopfan]

"Brotherhood of the Wolf" (2001). Saw it when it first came out on DVD, haven't seen it since, hardly remembered anything about it. Bit of a strange one. Period piece, martial arts and fantasy epic. Apparently at least inspired by actual events. There were somewhere around 100 deaths attributed to some unknown creature or creatures in a region of France in the 1760s.

The movie is rather deliberately paced, keeps the mystery running for a good chunk of it's ample run time (2 1/2 hours). Fairly good acting performances and some good actions scenes. A few recognizable faces for me--Mark Dacascos, Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci. Quite a bit of political intrigue, it might pay to know French history to understand better some of the undertones. Streaming on Amazon Prime. They have original French w/ subtitles and English dub available. I usually go with subtitles and original language, as I did with this one.

 

[HuskyHawk]

"Brotherhood of the Wolf" (2001). Saw it when it first came out on DVD, haven't seen it since, hardly remembered anything about it. Bit of a strange one. Period piece, martial arts and fantasy epic. Apparently at least inspired by actual events. There were somewhere around 100 deaths attributed to some unknown creature or creatures in a region of France in the 1760s.

The movie is rather deliberately paced, keeps the mystery running for a good chunk of it's ample run time (2 1/2 hours). Fairly good acting performances and some good actions scenes. A few recognizable faces for me--Mark Dacascos, Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci. Quite a bit of political intrigue, it might pay to know French history to understand better some of the undertones. Streaming on Amazon Prime. They have original French w/ subtitles and English dub available. I usually go with subtitles and original language, as I did with this one.

I really like this movie. Have seen it several times. It is a little bit slow on the pacing, but the acting, scenery and story are first rate.

 

[87Xfer]

Just saw "Rez Ball" on Netlifx. A bit cliched as sports movies can be. Apparently it was at least loosely based on a book. It was set on the Navajo Reservation, although the book was in Chinle in Arizona and they moved it to Ship Rock in New Mexico. About a high school basketball team struggling to continue with their season after their star player takes his own life (he lost his mom and sister the year before). It's about a lot more than basketball though, follows several characters, both students and adults. Among the cast there were two from the series Dark Winds. Jessica Matten was the coach and Ryan Begay was the father of the star player (that guy has tough luck, he lost a child in Dark Winds too). Amber Midthunder was in it too but she had a very minor part. Anyway I liked it, thought it was fairly well done.

They got some real ballers for small roles. Nicole Kornet played at Oklahoma and UCLA, she portrayed the girls coach at Ship Rock. Pretty sure there have been multiple Kornets, even multiple generations, that have played college and pro hoops. The superstar from the rival school who they played for the state title is a guy named Sam Griesel. I wasn't familiar with him but he was at North Dakota St. for 4 years and then grad transferred to Nebraska.

There's a documentary series about this (also on Netflix) called Basketball or Nothing.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I'd been curious about "Mars Express" for a while. French sci fi animated film. I got a credit from Amazon so it was a pay to watch flick that I got for free. It was reasonably interesting, but didn't quite live up to what I was hoping for. Shades of I, Robot and probably several other movies.

 

[nwhoopfan]

"A Good Woman is Hard to Find" is something I stumbled onto on Amazon Prime. I watched it for one reason only, because of Sarah Bolger. She was good in this and I think an underrated actress. I don't think I've ever seen any acclaim for her. As far as I can recall this is the first film I've seen her in where she uses her native Irish accent rather than American.

Anyway, she plays a widow with 2 young children. Her husband was murdered, the police don't seem to be doing anything as far as an investigation. She's struggling to get by. Her life gets more complicated when a two bit hustler forces his way into her home and stashes some drugs that he stole from the kind of people you don't want looking for you, dragging her and her kids into a dangerous situation. She ends up being pushed to extremes to protect her family. It's not exactly a good movie, but maybe worth watching just for her performance.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The Command. 2018 movie tells the story of the Russian submarine The Kursk, which sunk in 2000 while the Russians were doing a showy naval exercise. Colin Firth and Lea Seydoux are the name actors but in supporting roles. Mathias Schoenaerts is good in what is closest to a lead role. Focus is initially on the people, the sailors, their families and then shifts to the tragedy of men trapped in a submarine in frigid waters and an incompetent, arrogant government that tries to rescue them and fails. There are some great scenes of Russian admirals being yelled at by crowds of family members and my wife remembers those, they were on TV and are accurately portrayed. What's fascinating is the shock of those old cold war Soviet era leaders realizing that the public has information they don't control and doesn't fear them now. That they will be held accountable. Pretty solid movie.

 

[Dove]

The Last House on the Left (2009) - An excellent thriller with Monica potter, Tony Goldwyn, Aaron Paul and Garret Dillahunt.

Bad guys need a place to stay. A couple offers the detached garage apartment. Big mistake.

 

[nwhoopfan]

"Lies We Tell" is a creepy and unsettling slow burn. Based on a gothic novel called Uncle Silas. A young heiress is left on her own when her father dies. She becomes the ward of her uncle. He moves in and takes over the house, along with his two children and the governess of his daughter. It's a bit hard to decide which character was the most deplorable. Quickly even the house staff and one of the executors of the estate are turned against her, she basically becomes a prisoner. Tough watch. Some good performances. I didn't know any of the cast.

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

Witness For The Prosecution – 1957 – Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich, Tyrone Power
Witness For The Prosecution – 1982 – Ralph Richardson, Diana Rigg, Beau Bridges
The Witness For The Prosecution – 2017 – Kim Cattrall, Billy Howle, Toby Jones
Written by Agatha Christie. I found the 1957 version one night on Tubi while searching for movies after having finally cut the cord. I found multiple version and watched three. The 1957 version with Charles Laughton was by far the best, 1982 was very similar, almost word for word, and the 2017 version was very different.
If you aren't familiar with the story, watch the 1957 version with Charles Laughton first.

Speaking of Agatha Christie, I’ve also recently watched:

Death on the Nile – 2022 – Kenneth Branagh, Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Gal Gadot
A Haunting in Venice – 2023 – Kenneth Branagh, Tina Fey, Michelle, Kelly Reilly, Yeoh, Jamie Dornan
Murder on the Orient Express – 2017 – Kenneth Branagh, Penelope Cruz, William Defoe, Judi Dench (I saw a while ago but included with this list)
I really enjoy these movies and will work through more Hercule Poirot films from the old days. He is a master at observing details and deduction. Kenneth Branagh does an excellent job.

Kolumbo- - -Speaking of Agatha Christie, I have everyone of her books except for ones that are out of print (which I think are only 5)!
She and Jack Higgins are my 2 favorite authors!
I have every Higgins (also went by Harry Patterson) books except for some of his 1st political thrillers!

 

[RSHERMVIKES]

I mentioned in the 2023 movie thread that I listen to The Ringer's Rewatchables podcast. I've listened to all of the episodes for movies I've already seen. Now I am going back and watching the movies, among other films, for the episodes I've skipped over.

Over the last few weeks,
The Ice Storm - Movie staring Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey McGuire, and Christine Ricci. It was released in the late 90s, but is set in the early 70s in New Canaan. It's has sort of a Big Chill feel to it, but the with a stranger, yet compelling plot. I wouldn't necessarily call it "rewatchable," but worth the initial viewing.

Blackhat - Michael Mann movie starring Chris Helmsworth that is sort of all over the place. I'd call it a mix between Miami Vice and Swordfish, where a hacker is released from prison by the government and pitted between the US and Chinese governments, as he helps capture another, but villainous, hacker. Evidently, Michael Mann didn't like the theatrical version and moves some scenes around for the director's cut. It was okay, but may require additional viewings.

Thief - Another Michael Mann movie starring James Caan. Pretty enjoyable.

The Martian - Good movie set in the not so distant future, even when it came out. For obvious reasons, I thought it was a mix of Castaway and Apollo Thirteen. Matt Damon was really good and probably better than Hanks in the Castaway-type scenes. Though it is not a comedy, he hit the mark on achieving a dry comedic delivery.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith - The Movie that ended Brad and Jen, and began Brangelina. Total popcorn flick. Vince Vaughn may have been miscast. At the end of the day, he plays himself again, as if Jeremy Gray or "Double Down" Trent existed in this theatrical world.

Lost in Translation - Couldn't tell you what it is, but I liked it a lot.

Husky25- - - About THE MARTIAN, I read the book by Andy Weir, which was excellent, then saw the movie and loved it!
One of my favorites, Matt Damon should have won the Oscar for Best Actor!

 

[ZooCougar]

I mentioned in the 2023 movie thread that I listen to The Ringer's Rewatchables podcast. I've listened to all of the episodes for movies I've already seen. Now I am going back and watching the movies, among other films, for the episodes I've skipped over.

Over the last few weeks,
The Ice Storm - Movie staring Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey McGuire, and Christine Ricci. It was released in the late 90s, but is set in the early 70s in New Canaan. It's has sort of a Big Chill feel to it, but the with a stranger, yet compelling plot. I wouldn't necessarily call it "rewatchable," but worth the initial viewing.

Blackhat - Michael Mann movie starring Chris Helmsworth that is sort of all over the place. I'd call it a mix between Miami Vice and Swordfish, where a hacker is released from prison by the government and pitted between the US and Chinese governments, as he helps capture another, but villainous, hacker. Evidently, Michael Mann didn't like the theatrical version and moves some scenes around for the director's cut. It was okay, but may require additional viewings.

Thief - Another Michael Mann movie starring James Caan. Pretty enjoyable.

The Martian - Good movie set in the not so distant future, even when it came out. For obvious reasons, I thought it was a mix of Castaway and Apollo Thirteen. Matt Damon was really good and probably better than Hanks in the Castaway-type scenes. Though it is not a comedy, he hit the mark on achieving a dry comedic delivery.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith - The Movie that ended Brad and Jen, and began Brangelina. Total popcorn flick. Vince Vaughn may have been miscast. At the end of the day, he plays himself again, as if Jeremy Gray or "Double Down" Trent existed in this theatrical world.

Lost in Translation - Couldn't tell you what it is, but I liked it a lot.

The Martian is a wildly overrated movie. It's just a bunch of big trendy stars of the moment thrown together in one movie. It's Fast Food in Movie form. The story is average and too unoriginal. It seems like we've already had a few movies about someone stuck on Mars. I think Ridley Scott phoned this one in. It's like if Stephen Spielberg had directed a Harry Potter.

 

[ZooCougar]

The Holdovers (2023) It is a well made character piece. Comfortable formula about outsiders who come together to heal earth other. The teacher/student thing has been done and redone, but they add in a grieving mother, the African American cook at the school and it works, it adds depth to the movie. The background of the movie is it takes place over the Christmas holiday in 1970 at a boys bordering school and these are the folks who for varying reasons get left behind. The school is in Connecticut, somewhere near Candlewood Lake. This local touch makes the film more fun for those from the Nutmeg state. As I said, it is a good film with good performances. The story is paced nicely, it feels authentic. Two and a half stars.

I need to see this. School could have been Kent, South Kent or Canterbury.

 

[HuskyHawk]

There's an interesting Ancient Apocalypse show on Netflix. Some archeologists hate Graham Hancock. That led to a decision to rewatch The Lost City of Z on Prime. Stars Charlie Hunman with Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller and a brief bit of young Tom Holland. It is based on a true story of a British military man turned explorer, seeking to first map a river in Bolivia and then to seek out a lost civilization. The Royal Geographical Society isn't buying that there was ancient, advanced civilization in South America. Ultimately, he and others showed that there was. It's a good movie, a bit long.