Recently Watched Movies 2024 | Page 20 | The Boneyard

Recently Watched Movies 2024

Palatine said:
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.
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I need to see this. School could have been Kent, South Kent or Canterbury.
 
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.
 
HuskyHawk said:
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.
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Speaking of aliens, I watched Aliens: Romulus last night.

Maybe because it was on my TV rather than on the big screen, but I was just a bit bored. I also knew what was coming at the end so there wasn't some huge shock.

I thought it was well done, and it managed to harmonize the other movies in a clever way, but it was still facehuggers and chestbursters and xenomorphs chasing people around a space station.
 
nomar said:
7bebd458-dfe9-4c35-beee-da10caaaa99b.jpg
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Those shows are fun too, but he isn't suggesting aliens, just a little different take on history. There's certainly a lot archeologists have gotten wrong over the years.
 
HuskyHawk said:
Those shows are fun too, but he isn't suggesting aliens, just a little different take on history. There's certainly a lot archeologists have gotten wrong over the years.
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They do, sure, but I suspect they're still more right than Hancock is.

It's all taking stuff out of context. Whether it's aliens or mythical civilizations, if the evidence was actually there, then it wouldn't only be a handful of guys talking about it.

The stuff's entertaining (I read Chariots of the Gods as a teenager) but that's really all it is.
 
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HuskyHawk said:
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.
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I started to watch it and just went "nah" and pick something else. I I'll go back and give it a look.
 
nomar said:
Speaking of aliens, I watched Aliens: Romulus last night.

Maybe because it was on my TV rather than on the big screen, but I was just a bit bored. I also knew what was coming at the end so there wasn't some huge shock.

I thought it was well done, and it managed to harmonize the other movies in a clever way, but it was still facehuggers and chestbursters and xenomorphs chasing people around a space station.
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Alien was a very well-made movie. The fact that you didn't get to see the alien until the end of the movie just heightened the tension. I love the scene when they're sitting together and the chestburster pops out. The actors weren't told about the special effects and that was a one take scene. Those shocked expressions are real.

When Aliens came out, I wasn't expecting all that much of the sequel because it would be hard to duplicate the mystery intention of the first movie. The good thing was they didn't try and instead chose to basically make a war movie in space. The result was terrific and in its own way Aliens is better than the original movie, certainly as an action blockbuster.
 
CL82 said:
When Aliens came out, I wasn't expecting all that much of the sequel because it would be hard to duplicate the mystery intention of the first movie. The good thing was they didn't try and instead chose to basically make a war movie in space. The result was terrific and in its own way Aliens is better than the original movie, certainly as an action blockbuster.
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I saw the sequel before the original, and prefer it. Game over man, game over!
 
CL82 said:
Alien was a very well-made movie. The fact that you didn't get to see the alien until the end of the movie just heightened the tension. I love the scene when they're sitting together and the chestburster pops out. The actors weren't told about the special effects and that was a one take scene. Those shocked expressions are real.

When Aliens came out, I wasn't expecting all that much of the sequel because it would be hard to duplicate the mystery intention of the first movie. The good thing was they didn't try and instead chose to basically make a war movie in space. The result was terrific and in its own way Aliens is better than the original movie, certainly as an action blockbuster.
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Aliens is up there with GF2 in terms of sequels that equaled their masterpiece predecessor
 
CL82 said:
I started to watch it and just went "nah" and pick something else. I I'll go back and give it a look.
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ehhhhh.. I kept waiting for the moment when it turned out it was worth it. It never happened for me.
 
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CL82 said:
Alien was a very well-made movie. The fact that you didn't get to see the alien until the end of the movie just heightened the tension. I love the scene when they're sitting together and the chestburster pops out. The actors weren't told about the special effects and that was a one take scene. Those shocked expressions are real.

When Aliens came out, I wasn't expecting all that much of the sequel because it would be hard to duplicate the mystery intention of the first movie. The good thing was they didn't try and instead chose to basically make a war movie in space. The result was terrific and in its own way Aliens is better than the original movie, certainly as an action blockbuster.
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I saw "Aliens" many many years ago a few times, thought it was pretty good.
 
HuskyHawk said:
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.
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I read The Lost City of Z book by David Grann and saw the movie, enjoyed both of them.

I don't want to give away what happens but your description is not what happens.
 
superjohn said:
I read The Lost City of Z book by David Grann and saw the movie, enjoyed both of them.

I don't want to give away what happens but your description is not what happens.
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It's a general description trying to avoid spoilers.
 
superjohn said:
I read The Lost City of Z book by David Grann and saw the movie, enjoyed both of them.

I don't want to give away what happens but your description is not what happens.
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The book is excellent. I have read it as well.
 
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"Fly" is a documentary, apparently it was in theaters on IMAX screens. I just watched it on Hulu. It's produced by National Geographic so if you have a package that includes NatGeo, you can probably find it. About base jumpers, primarily follows three couples but you also get introduced to various other people in their circles. It's a close knit community, a very niche activity of course. I thought it was really well done. Some incredible footage of them flying but it's mostly about the people. The wing suit proximity flying (hugging the contours of the landscape) looks extremely exhilarating but also extremely risky, there's just no margin for error.
 
Two business trips this week.

The Iron Claw (2023) - I'll preface to say, the Von Erich's were right smack dab in the middle of my wrestling frenzy as a kid. I was convinced Kerry Von Erich was a real life superhero. That said? What a horrible movie this is. The individual acting performances got worse and worse up and down the line as the movie went on. If you'd like to see Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White ripped and shirtless? Worth the time. If you're looking for ANYTHING other than that? Pass this one.

Back to Black (2024) - I'm also a huge (almost obsessed) Amy Winehouse fan. To the point where I hadn't seen this because I was afraid how bad it would be. Surprise to say, I really, really enjoyed it. A lot. The story takes a VERY romantic and positive look at the good parts of Amy. This is the tone of most stories about her now and the majority of media ripping her for being a trainwreck has passed. So, it was a little cutesy and sappy in that regard...but Marisa Abela killed her performance as Amy Winehouse. She did all her own singing. No overlay or mixing with real soundtracks. She's clearly not as "good" as Amy Winehouse, but it's authentic and very real and I found her to be exceptional.
 
Byzantium. Stumbled across a 2012 movie directed by Neil Jordan. Set in Ireland and England, starring Gemma Arterton (looking pretty amazing) as Clara and Saoirse Ronan as Eleanor. It tells the tale partly in current time and partly via flashbacks. Clara is a prostitute and Eleanor is her daughter. What we learn is that they are vampires of a sort. I think it relies on a specific Irish legend of vampires that differs from the common approach (despite Bram Stoker being Irish). This is slowly paced and brooding at times, but it's well made and is an interesting tale. Clara's story is rather tragic, and though a powerful person in some ways, she's utterly powerless in most. Ronan is quite good (she was 18) and the role matches her well. Eleanor is quiet, smart, an introvert, and really has nobody she can talk to or share her story with. Definitely a different spin on vampires.
 
HuskyHawk said:
Byzantium. Stumbled across a 2012 movie directed by Neil Jordan. Set in Ireland and England, starring Gemma Arterton (looking pretty amazing) as Clara and Saoirse Ronan as Eleanor. It tells the tale partly in current time and partly via flashbacks. Clara is a prostitute and Eleanor is her daughter. What we learn is that they are vampires of a sort. I think it relies on a specific Irish legend of vampires that differs from the common approach (despite Bram Stoker being Irish). This is slowly paced and brooding at times, but it's well made and is an interesting tale. Clara's story is rather tragic, and though a powerful person in some ways, she's utterly powerless in most. Ronan is quite good (she was 18) and the role matches her well. Eleanor is quiet, smart, an introvert, and really has nobody she can talk to or share her story with. Definitely a different spin on vampires.
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I really like this movie, have watched it several times. Doesn't seem like it's gotten any kind of acclaim over the years.
 
"Canary Black" is a new espionage action movie on Amazon Prime starring Kate Beckinsale. Meh. She did one for Amazon a couple years ago called "Jolt" that was totally over the top and ridiculous, but didn't take itself seriously and was fun. This one was almost as ridiculous, but wasn't winking at the camera and wasn't as fun. Kinda standard fair for a spy flick, too twisty for its own good. I was never sure during the whole movie where they were supposed to be, that's probably not good. Not in the U.S., but there were CIA people absolutely everywhere, and people from various agencies from pretty much every other country, and independent contractors, but I never figured out what the host country was or what city they were in. Last on screen appearance for Ray Stevenson maybe? Also Rupert Friend and...other people.
 
Okay, I looked it up and it was an unnamed city within the movie so I guess that wasn't even important? Primary filming was in Zagreb, Croatia. I definitely got that it was Eastern European.
 
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Oh boy. "Longlegs" has to be one of the absolute worst movies I've ever seen. Bizarre, nonsensical, and a complete waste of time watching it. I don't know how this one got any positive buzz. Avoid at all costs IMO.
 
nwhoopfan said:
Oh boy. "Longlegs" has to be one of the absolute worst movies I've ever seen. Bizarre, nonsensical, and a complete waste of time watching it. I don't know how this one got any positive buzz. Avoid at all costs IMO.
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Surprising. Was hoping it would be good. Looked interesting and got decent reviews.

As for Canary Black, you do get to at least look at Kate Beckinsale right? That alone makes it better than some movies.
 
HuskyHawk said:
As for Canary Black, you do get to at least look at Kate Beckinsale right? That alone makes it better than some movies.
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Yes indeed. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't particularly noteworthy. You also get to look at several Eastern European actresses I wasn't familiar with but also didn't hurt the viewing experience.
 
Strange Darling (2023)

Just about when I was ready to admit I wasted money renting this one, it got freakin' crazy. I recommend. Pretty entertaining with a cool twist.

The two stars are pretty good.

Barbara Hershey and Ed Begley, Jr make cameos until they are killed.
 
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"Devil's Climb" is a remarkably condensed documentary with Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell. Tommy is trying to get back to being a top climber after rupturing his achilles tendon multiple times. Why not up the ante? They ride bikes from Colorado to SE Alaska, then climb the imposing Devil's Thumb. They weren't settled on a route til they got there, ended up doing a traverse of multiple gnarly towers and then the main peak. First to ever do it in less than 24 hours. Stunning dramatic scenery. They briefly passed thru the Bugaboos in Canada, that's pretty awesome too. I've been there. Anyway this 2 month adventure was crammed into a 75 minute documentary.
 
Canary Black. Kate Beckinsale as a CIA operative Avery Graves in Croatia. Why we have so many people in Croatia is a mystery. First up, holy crap, how is she 51? This shouldn't be possible. Next up, the action and shooting is slightly less believable than some other action movies. Guys being blown backwards from small caliber handgun rounds....nah. The plot in some ways is interesting, bad guys want some super secret US data. But then it derails, as Avery proceeds to kill or cause the death of hundreds of thousands? More? All to save her husband. She may be the worst spy of all time. So the movie fails because any rational person in her position makes it a 20 minute long movie.
 
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