Recently watched movies 2025

[ZooCougar]

Being true to the comic is the first most important imperative of "good" superhero movies. Marvel comics always had heroes with human flaws. DC didn't. In the comics, SpiderMan often saw himself as a loser. In the comics, Stark was a irresponsible drunk searching for purpose. To me, that is why the Marvel movies succeeded where the DC world had trouble.

Also bad writing. Bad movie making. Bad production.

The Nolan Batman movies shot have given them a road map. But they didn’t listen.

The Joker was ok but better than anything else they were making. The Penguin on TV was fantastic. Everything good they make gets killed off. Terrible executive decision making.

 

[Palatine]

Also bad writing. Bad movie making. Bad production.

The Nolan Batman movies shot have given them a road map. But they didn’t listen.

The Joker was ok but better than anything else they were making. The Penguin on TV was fantastic. Everything good they make gets killed off. Terrible executive decision making.

Nolan did what comic book fans craved. He took the character seriously. He mostly played it straight. Or as straight as you can play a surreal character like Batman. Previous films especially the Chris Reeve Superman movies and the Tim Burton Batman outings always had this silly campy TV Batman element. Nolan's Batman Begins gave other directors the license to play it more gritty and real.

 

[John]

Watched Greyhound (2020), World War II naval drama staring Tom Hanks as a destroyer captain leading the defense of a trans-atlantic convoy in U-boat infested waters. To me it was a throwback to the 60s movies like The Enemy Below, just with vastly improved visuals and sound. Wish I had been able to see this in the theaters, I think it would have been even better. Movie is very heavy on tactics and action scenes, with not a lot of character exploration. Thought it was worth the watch, and can recommend if you're a history or naval warfare buff.

 

[Kolumbo]

Nolan did what comic book fans craved. He took the character seriously. He mostly played it straight. Or as straight as you can play a surreal character like Batman. Previous films especially the Chris Reeve Superman movies and the Tim Burton Batman outings always had this silly campy TV Batman element. Nolan's Batman Begins gave other directors the license to play it more gritty and real.

James Bond kind of went the same route. Got very campy with Roger Moore but Daniel Craig made it real.

The campy movies were fine. Heck I really liked the batman movie with Adam West. It's hard to tell what will and won't work. Ironman is great because Robert Downey Jr. makes it fun.

 

[ZooCougar]

Watched Greyhound (2020), World War II naval drama staring Tom Hanks as a destroyer captain leading the defense of a trans-atlantic convoy in U-boat infested waters. To me it was a throwback to the 60s movies like The Enemy Below, just with vastly improved visuals and sound. Wish I had been able to see this in the theaters, I think it would have been even better. Movie is very heavy on tactics and action scenes, with not a lot of character exploration. Thought it was worth the watch, and can recommend if you're a history or naval warfare buff.

I may be wrong but this one was only distributed on Apple TV.

 

[John]

I may be wrong but this one was only distributed on Apple TV.

it was supposed to be in the theaters, but Covid caused it to be tv-only. From wiki:

Greyhound was initially scheduled for theatrical release on March 22, 2019 in the United States by Sony Pictures Releasing under its Columbia Pictures label. After the rapid onset and disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the release was delayed to May 8, 2020, and finally to June 12, 2020.[15][16][17]

In May 2020, it was announced that Apple TV+ had acquired distribution rights to Greyhound for about $70 million; Stage 6 Films was left as the sole Sony distributor as of the release of the film.[18] Apple TV+ released the film digitally on July 10, 2020.[19]

 

[Fishy]

Watched Greyhound (2020), World War II naval drama staring Tom Hanks as a destroyer captain leading the defense of a trans-atlantic convoy in U-boat infested waters. To me it was a throwback to the 60s movies like The Enemy Below, just with vastly improved visuals and sound. Wish I had been able to see this in the theaters, I think it would have been even better. Movie is very heavy on tactics and action scenes, with not a lot of character exploration. Thought it was worth the watch, and can recommend if you're a history or naval warfare buff.

Perhaps the most abrupt ending I can imagine…it ends and you’re like, that was the battle we were waiting for?

 

[Fishy]

The King.

Timothee Chalamet and one of the people who played Batman are in it. Felt like a movie where they would normally have squeezed Forrest Whittaker in to chew some scenery. Chalamet plays Henry V. He challenges a bunch of people to fights, meets a French girl, rolls around in the mud and rides a few horses. Not a barn burner, but worthwhile, especially for a Netflix pick.

3/5 Deepsters.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The King.

Timothee Chalamet and one of the people who played Batman are in it. Felt like a movie where they would normally have squeezed Forrest Whittaker in to chew some scenery. Chalamet plays Henry V. He challenges a bunch of people to fights, meets a French girl, rolls around in the mud and rides a few horses. Not a barn burner, but worthwhile, especially for a Netflix pick.

3/5 Deepsters.

Did he do the St Crispin's day speech?

 

[ZooCougar]

Perhaps the most abrupt ending I can imagine…it ends and you’re like, that was the battle we were waiting for?

I thought everything in this movie looked fake and Tom Hanks looked too old.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I thought everything in this movie looked fake and Tom Hanks looked too old.

You really are becoming a misery on this board.

 

[John]

I thought everything in this movie looked fake and Tom Hanks looked too old.

you prefer this?

 

[Fishy]

Operation Mincemeat. (Netflix)

On the WWII theme. Darn good movie that somehow makes an outrageous bit of war time spy craft less outrageous that it actually was in real life. (This is also a book recommendation - by Ben Macintyre.)

Colin Firth, the British bad guy in The Patriot and the woman who gets murdered last in No Country for Old Men are in it, as are other people. Movie is a slow burn - no action, really. The idea is that the British will find a hobo, create a backstory and then set him adrift off of Spain with fake military plans on his person in hopes that they will make their way to the Germans and help the Allies win the war - I will not spoil it by telling you who wins.

Anyway, the real story is more brilliant than the movie, but the movie is well worth the watch so you can hear the story.

3/5 war time Deepsters

 

[Fishy]

The Phoenician Scheme. Peacock

"I hate Wes Anderson!" - don't watch
"I love Wes Anderson!" - do watch

Benicio del Toro was made to act in a Wes Anderson movie. Luke Murray's dad has a small role as God. Scarlett Johansson plays Scarlett Johansson attempting an accent. A bunch of people are really good in typically small roles...Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, etc.

Story is too convoluted to summarize. Perhaps too convoluted, so it's in an orbit under my favorites.

3.5/5 Deepsters

 

[ZooCougar]

The Phoenician Scheme. Peacock

"I hate Wes Anderson!" - don't watch
"I love Wes Anderson!" - do watch

Benicio del Toro was made to act in a Wes Anderson movie. Luke Murray's dad has a small role as God. Scarlett Johansson plays Scarlett Johansson attempting an accent. A bunch of people are really good in typically small roles...Riz Ahmed, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, etc.

Story is too convoluted to summarize. Perhaps too convoluted, so it's in an orbit under my favorites.

3.5/5 Deepsters

He needs Owen Wilson to come back and help him write.

 

[ZooCougar]

you prefer this?

Probably

 

[Deepster]

I love the fact that the grading scale is named in my honor.

Can we get a breakdown of what 1 through 5 actually means? Like, I would completely crap on a 1 Deepster movie, but crap an average amount on a 3 Deepster?

 

[ZooCougar]

I love the fact that the grading scale is named in my honor.

Can we get a breakdown of what 1 through 5 actually means? Like, I would completely crap on a 1 Deepster movie, but crap an average amount on a 3 Deepster?

1 Deepster-Any Fantastic Four Movie or The Human Centipede

5 Deepsters-The Dark Knight

6 Deepsters- The Godfather and The Departed have child together

 

[Fishy]

He needs Owen Wilson to come back and help him write.

His best movies have come without Wilson and he has no other writing credits to his name, so I suspect Wilson's contributions were minor

 

[ZooCougar]

His best movies have come without Wilson and he has no other writing credits to his name, so I suspect Wilson's contributions were minor

He co wrote Bottle Rocket, Rushmore and Trh Royal Tenenbaums. I’d be shocked if he didn’t have input on The Life Aquatic since he starred in it, Those are unquestionably the strongest of his films.

I watch and own every single one of his films and each time I hope the new one is as good as one of those. The Grand Budapest Hotel might be the only one.

 

[HuskyHawk]

His best movies have come without Wilson and he has no other writing credits to his name, so I suspect Wilson's contributions were minor

I think the reality is simply that having a very peculiar style eventually becomes harder to pull off as you make more movies. Coen Brothers had/have similar issues.

 

[ZooCougar]

I think the reality is simply that having a very peculiar style eventually becomes harder to pull off as you make more movies. Coen Brothers had/have similar issues.

I think his style is beginning to outweigh the substance.

Just thinking about some the lines in his best movies makes me giggle. It took me two or three viewings to get The Life Aquatic. But what sets his best apart from the rest is the writing.

Maybe he just needs another pep talk from Steely Dan.

 

[Fishy]

BFG, on Disney+

It's about a giant, an orphan, more giants, the Queen of England and some helicopters.

Steven Spielberg directed it, quite entertaining. Mark Rylance is good in everything.

BFG combines the magic of Spielberg, Disney and the spirit of Deepster and gets 3.5 out of five Deepsters and a rating of Deeply Good+

1 Deepster - Awful
2 Deepsters - Average
3 Deepsters - Good
4 Deepsters - Wonderful
5 Deepsters - Fantastic

@Deepster ⬆️

 

[CL82]

Operation Mincemeat. (Netflix)

On the WWII theme. Darn good movie that somehow makes an outrageous bit of war time spy craft less outrageous that it actually was in real life. (This is also a book recommendation - by Ben Macintyre.)

Colin Firth, the British bad guy in The Patriot and the woman who gets murdered last in No Country for Old Men are in it, as are other people. Movie is a slow burn - no action, really. The idea is that the British will find a hobo, create a backstory and then set him adrift off of Spain with fake military plans on his person in hopes that they will make their way to the Germans and help the Allies win the war - I will not spoil it by telling you who wins.

Anyway, the real story is more brilliant than the movie, but the movie is well worth the watch so you can hear the story.

3/5 war time Deepsters

If you liked the book, I strongly recommend the book Agent Zigzag which is also by Ben Macintyre. It is the story of Eddie Chapman, a British professional crook who becomes a double agent in World War II. It has everything you would want in a James Bond novel, including secret codes, invisible ink and parachute drops, cyanide capsules, sexy blondes, but it is a true story. In fact, Ian Flemming was at least aware of Chapman and may have based his James Bond character in part on him.

 

[ZooCougar]

Furiosa (2024?)

This quite simply may be the best movie you haven't seen.

I like George Miller, I like Mad Max. I think it's the most underappreciated movie franchise because it doesn't sell plastic toys and never had glass cup giveaways at McDonalds in the '80s.

So after Mad Max: Fury Road was a big hit and everyone loved it, Furiosa with an amazing cast should have been a smash right? Nope.

I think everyone had sequel or prequel fatigue. Maybe some people preferred to see Charlize Theron back. I have no idea. I love the franchise and I blew it off too.

But sometimes you just have to trust the artist, and in this case it's George Miller. He had a story and it was worth telling. Prequel fatigue be damned.

The movie follows Furiosa's rise from her abduction from a utopia to becoming one of the highest ranking soldiers for the biggest warlord in the wasteland. It's partially a Jungian Hero's quest, part slow burn revenge. The road war set pieces don't disappoint. If anything there might be one or two too many of them.

The guy who plays Thor in the Marvel Crap also does an amazing job as the principal antagonist. Thor has some real range as an actor. He wears a prosthetic nose that makes him look Justin Theroux hit the gym and pounded creatine.

It's a shame this movie did poorly. It couldn't get better reviews, but nobody went to see it. Miller really does a good job laying out the setting of the Wasteland, there is still some unrealized potential there. Mad Max: Wasteland was in the works but it appears to be dead now. Hollywood, you suck.