What MOVIE(s) have you been....seeing? watching?

jason10mm wrote: Murder by Death is an old murder spoof film, one of my wifes favorite films. Absolute classic with a stellar cast and razor sharp writing, but gotdamn it is a product of its time. Peter Sellars in yellowface right next to an actual asian actor is particularly prominent, but there is plenty of other stuff in there as well (it mocks pretty much everyone). But wow is the writing and the physical comedy on point, it's A tier stuff. It's a good example, IMHO, of acknowledging some problematic issues but also realizing that just because something is making fun of someone doesn't mean we can't just laugh in the end and understand it's good natured. Comedy ought be a bit uncomfortable. But it is definitely not a film that I think could, would, or should be made today.

Peter Sellers turn as a bumbling Indian film star in The Party is both a terrible example of 'brown-face' and a showcase of Sellers' comedy style. It would be remade as a Mr. Bean movie for sure today.

Sellers' Chinese detective is really a very clever condemnation and lampooning of western views on China (or "the orient" in general as a confabulation of all the various cultures). It makes more sense for the yellow face IMHO. It will trigger some who view it superficially, make some laugh who don't realize they are the actual butt of the joke, and it spares an actual Chinese actor from having to perform a demeaning self chariacture. So many layers, stuff like this isn't written much anymore now that subtlety and nuance have largely left us.

Godzilla vs Kong - Like the previous two Godzilla movies in this Verse it could have been 30 minutes shorter. Kong Skull Island is still the best. The Hollow Earth stuff was cool but I always like that kind of stuff. The fights were good but nothing blew me away.

I also just finished watching Godzilla v. Kong. A visual spectacle. Any time people are talking, it's bad. So basically, it's Pacific Rim.

Skull Island is so good.

Ever been in an odd mood while trying to pick something to watch? Nothing in your (Amazon) queue seems right, and you definitely don't want to re-watch any of your favorites? I finally impulsively decided to watch Violet & Daisy (2011), which is about two teenage girls who work as professional assassins. Alexis Bledel (Gilmour Girls, Sin City) and Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird) play the two main characters, and James Gandolfini and Danny Trejo are also in the mix.

Violet & Daisy was the perfect movie for my odd movie. It was violent, quirky, dark, slightly funny, and sad. Above all, it was a very human story about a few people in an odd, contrived situation. The story moves at a leisurely pace, such that the emotional beats land solidly. The ending is good, but left me with a tear in the eye.

If you want to watch what sounds like the total opposite of Violet and Daisy, Russell Crowe in Unhinged is the film for you. Blunt, clumsy, and kinda hateful, it is a 2020 version of Michael Douglas' Falling Down mixed with a slasher film, taking all the worst aspects.

Crowe is fine as the lumbering psychotic Tom who spends his day tormenting the hapless Rachel in an extended episode of road rage, though his motivations are tissue paper thin and he survives thanks to pure divine luck and the MASSIVE INCOMPETENCE of his victim. Really, if you like to hate the hero, this is your movie. Set up as a newly divorced mom struggling to stay afloat, she is really just a hot mess of bad decisions and she makes this film a lot harder to watch since so much of the chaos is tied to her zigging instead of zagging. Crowe is far too calculating for what seems to have been an impulsive decision to stalk this lady and she compounds it all by making every classic "oh no you didn't!" horror movie trope bad call that feels out of place in the rest of the film.

Count me in the forum consensus on Godzilla vs. Kong. hotseatgames hit the nail on the head; it sucks when people are talking. Kaiju fights are good, though.

I watched The Father last night. Utterly blown away. Probably the best film I have seen in a year or two. I am disappointed the Hopkins will probably be denied another oscar by Boseman's death, because this was a towering performance that deserves every accolade.

For those that don't know, The Father is about an elderly man with dementia from the perspective of someone with dementia, so it doesn't really make much sense. Different actors play the same character, or the same actor plays different characters, the plot is a mess and doesn't make sense and everything happening just has a hint of horror to it.

Maybe it did hit extra hard for me because my girlfriend's grandmother passed 6 months ago after a battle with dementia, and seeing someone portray the complex interaction of innocence, fun, difficulties and frustration of living with dementia was highly relatable.

Le-Van Kiet’s Furie. It’s fine, nothing special. A single mother’s daughter is kidnapped for purposes of organ theft, and the mother tears through the Saigon underground to save her. The fight scenes are pretty solid, the stuff in between much less so. I was with it when the mother immediately stole a scooter to chase the boat her daughter was on and jumped in a fruit truck when they got away in a bus, but then it lost that Crank momentum as mom just wandered around Saigon for a while.

The best part was probably just the setting. Chase scene on a scooter? Guy taking a durian to the face? I’m down with that. The alleys even look different and held my attention.

Ancient_of_MuMu wrote: I watched The Father last night. Utterly blown away.

Seconded. I was resistant to see it thinking it would be a typical and boring medical/illness drama but I was very wrong. I was hooked damn near instantly.

Final Fantasy XV:Kingsglaive on netflix. Another CGI extravaganza in the FF line. I've only ever played FF7 so I have no idea that the hell this movie is about but DAMN is it gorgeous. Incredible fights, damn near photorealistic graphics (a little dodgy mo-cap at times though) and a plot that is nigh incomprehensible. It has the weird modern technology but magic fantasy thing the FF series has and it doesn't really work for me, but it is an amazing technological feat that must have cost a fortune. Fun movie at any rate.

I watched Tuff Turf (1985) so all of you can skip it. It's a weak imitation of Valley Girl that is only notable for its cast: James Spader, Robert Downey Jr, and Kim Richards. Who is Kim Richards? She was my celebrity crush when I was 10 years old, as a regular Disney star who is probably best known for Escape to Witch Mountain. The timing of this movie is interesting with respect to the careers of all three stars. This is Spader making a transition from tv to movies, though a year before his badguy role in Pretty in Pink. RDJ's next role is also villainous in Weird Science. As for Kim Richards, she did one more movie before dropping out of sight for 20 years. It's a shame, because she looks amazing in this movie and puts on a star performance, but the writing isn't good. The movie is all over the place in tone, with both song/dance numbers and grim violence. The music is interesting in that none of it is famous, but the overall soundtrack captures a variety of types of music that were popular in the '80s, from synthwave to upbeat blues to hard rock.

In recent months, I have been worrying about my hearing and avoiding an excellent Amazon original, The Sound of Metal. My hearing loss turned out to be major wax buildup, and almost became complete, temporary loss of hearing as it turned into swimmer's ear on both sides. Anyway, I got it cleared up and finally gave this movie a try and it was good. I hadn't noticed star Riz Ahmed before, but hopefully this will prove to be his breakout role. Much of the movie is about conveying the sudden loss of hearing to the viewers by messing with the sound mix, but it was effective and also lent extra power to the times when Riz was speaking. The movie also is very effective in capturing the strong sense of isolation imposed by the silence of sudden loss of hearing. Endings are often the hardest part about writing, and this movie manages to escape cliches with an unsettling finish.

The Butterfly Effect (2004) has some interesting and preposterous ideas, but wallows in deep darkness for much of the movie. Changing the past is tricky business, so apparently one needs a very tortured past to want so badly to change it. I don't generally have much use for Ashton Kutcher, but he is fine in this movie. Amy Smart is also good, displaying considerable range by playing dramatically divergent incarnations of the same character. I liked The Butterfly Effect but probably don't need to ever see it again. If you are looking for a suitable movie for the Netflix and Chill night with your partner, look elsewhere.

I watched Safe House on HBO Max. I think this movie pretty much came and went when it was released in 2012. I certainly don't recall anyone talking about it. Denzel Washington plays a rogue CIA agent and Ryan Reynolds plays a safe house operator charged with keeping Denzel alive and well.

It exceeded my expectations quite a bit. There are some cool car stunts and overall the movie is pretty enjoyable, in spite of the "twist" being pretty easy to predict. Worth your time.

DREDD is on Amazon Prime, and that's a great movie. Alex Garland penned it, and apparently had a lot going on behind the scenes production-wise, and it reads really smart and the world-building is great. It's insanely violent, as one might expect.