Recently watched movies 2025

[Palatine]

Lift (2024). This is NOT a review. That wouldn't be fair as I stopped watching after 51 minutes of this 106 minute film. Kevin Hart vehicle. He plays a genius master thief. Have at it.

 

[storrsroars]

Novocaine (Paramount+). Dumb fun. I'm certain if one wanted to examine the physiology of being numb to pain and how the hero couldn't have survived/rebounded from many of his injuries, one could have a field day. But that would be missing the point. I don't recall seeing this progeny of Quaid/Ryan in anything before, but he did a solid job as the lead. Sweet romantic story goes along with with a very good Amber Midthunder. You could do much worse than watch this one.

 

[Deepster]

I know most of you have been waiting for this review.

Moana 2 was not good.

Snow White, then Moana 2? Isn’t your daughter in her 20s? What are you doing, my guy?

 

[Fishy]

Snow White, then Moana 2? Isn’t your daughter in her 20s? What are you doing, my guy?

Disney+.

Don’t get mad because I am reviewing movies for the people.

Back on point.

Mufasa: The Lion King (2024) is not good. The highlight is perhaps the worst song in the history of Disney movies. Also, Tom Hardy’s new movie on Netflix is abysmal.

Next up - the sing along version of Encanto, reviewed especially for Deep.

 

[Deepster]

Disney+.

Don’t get mad because I am reviewing movies for the people.

Back on point.

Mufasa: The Lion King (2024) is not good. The highlight is perhaps the worst song in the history of Disney movies. Also, Tom Hardy’s new movie on Netflix is abysmal.

Next up - the sing along version of Encanto, reviewed especially for Deep.

So basically, after dinner, you and Mrs Fishy sit down and watch some bicycle race in Germany, Moana 2 then Olympic swim trials in Venezuela.

 

[Fishy]

So basically, after dinner, you and Mrs Fishy sit down and watch some bicycle race in Germany, Moana 2 then Olympic swim trials in Venezuela.

You’re so stupid.

The bike races are in the morning.

(Edit - well, kinda. I watched the F1 race from Italy this morning, so I have to watch the Giro d’Italia stage now. My wife watches none of this.)

 

[nwhoopfan]

Nonnas. Cute movie with Vince Vaughn as Joe Scaravella a guy in Brooklyn who grew up with a lot of Italian cooking from his mom, grandmother and others. Shift forward and his mom has passed. He's drawn to recreate old recipes from his youth. He decides to use the life insurance money to open a restaurant in Staten Island and use Italian grandmothers to cook the food. Impressive cast of nonnas includes Lorraine Bracco, Brenda Vaccaro, Talia Shire and Susan Sarandon. His best friend Bruno (Joe Manganiello) helps him build out the restaurant. He also runs into an old HS flame Linda Cardellini, who is neighbors with Brenda Vacarro. This is funny, heart warming and enjoyable. Based on a true story.

Finally saw it, really enjoyed it. Just one more note, while she wasn't on screen much I thought Drea de Matteo was good as Joe Manganiello's wife. Can't even remember the last thing I saw her in.

 

[superjohn]

Finally saw it, really enjoyed it. Just one more note, while she wasn't on screen much I thought Drea de Matteo was good as Joe Manganiello's wife. Can't even remember the last thing I saw her in.

Probably The Sopranos getting snuffed out by Silvio Dante.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Finally saw it, really enjoyed it. Just one more note, while she wasn't on screen much I thought Drea de Matteo was good as Joe Manganiello's wife. Can't even remember the last thing I saw her in.

perhaps? She was decent in this. Perfect role for her.

 

[ZooCougar]

I’d rather watch Disney than F1 nowadays. And Disney doesn’t make anything worth watching.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Black Bag. Michael Fassbender (George) and Cate Blanchett (Katherine) are husband and wife intelligence agents. Katherine works ops and George is sort of the head of internal affairs. Pierce Brosnan plays Katherine's boss. The two profess complete devotion to each other, above all else and that becomes central to the story. It's a psychological thriller and lacks any real action. At times it's uncomfortable and annoying as George tries to unravel something he's been asked to resolve. It has great reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and is pretty good, but the screenplay falls a bit short in my view.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Wasn't really planning to watch it, but my parents queued up "I Still Believe" so I watched it with them. Based on true story about CCM singer Jeremy Camp. Perhaps a tad bit emotionally manipulative, but fairly well done. KJ Apa and Britt Robertson were appealing as the leads. Also some some good supporting roles by Gary Sinise, Melissa Roxburgh, Nathan Parsons and Abigail Cowen, among others.

 

[nwhoopfan]

So...Lewis Pullman played one of the hot shot young pilots in Top Gun: Maverick named Bob, call sign also Bob. In Thunderbolts* Lewis Pullman played a character named Bob. Is Top Gun now part of the MCU?

 

[CL82]

John Wick 4 (2023)

I finally got around to this. It was entirely satisfying in the way that the John Wick franchise is. A lot of well choreographed fights.

Originally the John Wick character was going to be an older guy, picture Clint Eastwood say 15 to 20 years ago (or maybe Liam Neeson 10 years ago). It would've had a very different feel, but still been a satisfying movie. I doubt it would've spawned the series though. But with Keanu Reeves, it has an entirely different flavor to it. I've enjoyed them, but they've run their course.

I'm not sure about the addition of the character with the dog. There are some good scenes, undoubtedly, but it seems extraneous to the central theme. Definitely a satisfying watch, though not particularly memorable, except that it ends the tetralogy.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Nonnas. Cute movie with Vince Vaughn as Joe Scaravella a guy in Brooklyn who grew up with a lot of Italian cooking from his mom, grandmother and others. Shift forward and his mom has passed. He's drawn to recreate old recipes from his youth. He decides to use the life insurance money to open a restaurant in Staten Island and use Italian grandmothers to cook the food. Impressive cast of nonnas includes Lorraine Bracco, Brenda Vaccaro, Talia Shire and Susan Sarandon. His best friend Bruno (Joe Manganiello) helps him build out the restaurant. He also runs into an old HS flame Linda Cardellini, who is neighbors with Brenda Vacarro. This is funny, heart warming and enjoyable. Based on a true story.

I didn’t like it at all. It was emotionally manipulative and 20 minutes too long. One of the things that got on my nerves was how repetitive the dialogue was. We heard it the first ten tomes he said how important family was. Italians are big on family. Got it. So is every culture.

Lorraine Bracco is really good and carries the movie through some weak dialogue. Drea de Matteo is a good actress within a tight range. The rest of the cast is fine other than Vince Vaughn, who tries to play it more emotional but ends up at smartass, because that is the only gear he has.

 

[CL82]

Lee 2023

This is the story of Lee Miller, a former model who became a World War II correspondent and photographer for Vogue magazine. Kate Winslet stars. The movie was solid, but do yourself a favor afterwards and take a look at Lee Miller's World War II photos. They are powerful.

Lee Miller World War II photos

 

[HuskyHawk]

Fountain of Youth. Apple. Directed by Guy Ritchie, stars John Krasinski as Luke Purdue, Natalie Portman as his sister Charlotte. Their dad was an Indiana Jones like archeologist. Luke is a bit of an art thief and Charlotte works in a Gallery. Eiza Gonzalez is trying to stop Luke from discovering the Fountain of Youth. Interpol is trying to catch him too. Domhnall Gleeson is a billionaire funding the search. This is not bad, but is highly disappointing. Portman isn’t very good, and the writing is meh. It could have been much better with Krasinski’s wife playing his sister.

 

[CL82]

Fountain of Youth. Apple. Directed by Guy Ritchie, stars John Krasinski as Luke Purdue, Natalie Portman as his sister Charlotte. Their dad was an Indiana Jones like archeologist. Luke is a bit of an art thief and Charlotte works in a Gallery. Eiza Gonzalez is trying to stop Luke from discovering the Fountain of Youth. Interpol is trying to catch him too. Domhnall Gleeson is a billionaire funding the search. This is not bad, but is highly disappointing. Portman isn’t very good, and the writing is meh. It could have been much better with Krasinski’s wife playing his sister.

For what it's worth I've never really understood the appeal of Natalie Portman. She seems thoroughly "meh" in every role I've ever seen her in (with the exception of "The Professional.")

 

[Palatine]

I didn’t like it at all. It was emotionally manipulative and 20 minutes too long. One of the things that got on my nerves was how repetitive the dialogue was. We heard it the first ten tomes he said how important family was. Italians are big on family. Got it. So is every culture.

Lorraine Bracco is really good and carries the movie through some weak dialogue. Drea de Matteo is a good actress within a tight range. The rest of the cast is fine other than Vince Vaughn, who tries to play it more emotional but ends up at smartass, because that is the only gear he has.

My wife loved this. I love my wife. I often don't love the movies my wife loves. I can't bring myself to watch this. This review makes me even less likely to watch.

 

[HuskyHawk]

For what it's worth I've never really understood the appeal of Natalie Portman. She seems thoroughly "meh" in every role I've ever seen her in (with the exception of "The Professional.")

She really needs a good script and she can be ok. Unfortunately, in the case of the Star Wars films, this one, and several others, she didn't get it.

@Palatine Nelson isn't wrong about Nonnas really, but in a time where so many movies are insufferable long form dreck, draped in misery and despair, it was nice to see something that was positive. Sarandon is funny, as is Talia Shire, all the ladies play off of each other nicely. Vince is Vince, as always. He wouldn't have been my choice for this but doesn't ruin it.

 

[superjohn]

For what it's worth I've never really understood the appeal of Natalie Portman. She seems thoroughly "meh" in every role I've ever seen her in (with the exception of "The Professional.")

She was also great as a young teenager in Beautiful Girls. I also thought she did a great job in Black Swan.

 

[CL82]

She was also great as a young teenager in Beautiful Girls. I also thought she did a great job in Black Swan.

I've never seen either one. Black Swan obviously got a lot of acclamation. I probably should see that at some point.

 

[Fishy]

Fountain of Youth. Apple. Directed by Guy Ritchie, stars John Krasinski as Luke Purdue, Natalie Portman as his sister Charlotte. Their dad was an Indiana Jones like archeologist. Luke is a bit of an art thief and Charlotte works in a Gallery. Eiza Gonzalez is trying to stop Luke from discovering the Fountain of Youth. Interpol is trying to catch him too. Domhnall Gleeson is a billionaire funding the search. This is not bad, but is highly disappointing. Portman isn’t very good, and the writing is meh. It could have been much better with Krasinski’s wife playing his sister.

Apple kills it with their original series work.

Their movies are just meh. The sign language movie was quite good, but I think they bought that after the fact. The Matt Damon movie was entertaining, though. I liked it more than most.

And you have been waiting for my review of the new Captain America.

It was fine. If I paid for it, I would have been mad. Script must have taken 90 minutes to write. Anyone of us could have put this movie together with ChatGPT.

I like Anthony Mackey though.

 

[Fishy]

I didn’t like it at all. It was emotionally manipulative and 20 minutes too long. One of the things that got on my nerves was how repetitive the dialogue was. We heard it the first ten tomes he said how important family was. Italians are big on family. Got it. So is every culture.

Lorraine Bracco is really good and carries the movie through some weak dialogue. Drea de Matteo is a good actress within a tight range. The rest of the cast is fine other than Vince Vaughn, who tries to play it more emotional but ends up at smartass, because that is the only gear he has.

Is there another actor anywhere that has less range than Vince Vaughn? He makes Andi MacDowell look like Meryl Streep. He’s great in what’s he’s great in, but it has to be a role where he’s playing Vince Vaughn.

My favorite Vince Vaughn scene was in True Detective where he had to play Vince Vaughn taking a sip of coffee and he absolutely flubbed the scene. Vince Vaughn cannot act like he is taking a sip of coffee. Coffee is outside of his range.

Loved him in the Apple series where he got to play Vince Vaughn doing things that did not involve coffee cups.

Also, on Italians portrayed in the movies….everyone thinks every Italian family is the one from Moonlighting. Also, Joe Mantegna needs to apologize to every Italian for his entire career.

 

[Fishy]

For what it's worth I've never really understood the appeal of Natalie Portman. She seems thoroughly "meh" in every role I've ever seen her in (with the exception of "The Professional.")

Her accent in V should be mentioned whenever Kevin Costner takes crap for Robin Hood.