Movies You've Seen Recently | Q4 2024

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

Wanted to watch a Coen bros comedy and was deciding between Raising Arizona or Hudsucker Proxy. Decided on AZ. This is the movie that introduced young me to Nic Cage and the Coen brothers and what a pairing. Looking back, it's weird they only did this movie together, but what a movie. Great original characters who are all askew in some variation. Quotable lines throughout. And filmed in my neck of the woods, although I think I was still in New Mexico when it was actually filmed. But first time watched it was after my family has moved to AZ. Hudsucker tomorrow maybe. I also need to finish up the Nolan Batman trilogy.

 

[Blader]

Ghostbusters: Afterlife
As someone who's generally a fan of 'legacy sequels' and usually rolls his eyes at complaints of nostalgia pandering (it's a sequel, of course it's going to reference and connect to stuff that came before!) this was...too much, lol. This kinda felt like the movie Mark Hamill wanted The Force Awakens to be. The new girl is great but her agency feels undercut by the return of the originals, whose presence feels very shoehorned in and more "remember this" than any other nostalgia-driven sequel (that and the copy/paste of the Zuul plot). On the flip side of this, the tributes to Harold Ramis are very sweet and surprisingly well done. Wish there was more to Carrie Coon's role in this.
6/10

West Side Story (2021)
In almost every way an improvement on the original. Really well shot, even with the usual Kaminski overdone bloom lighting. Bernardo and Anita are both excellent, Maria is pretty good, and for all the shit he took online for looking so bland (excluding the other, more deserved shit he took lol), I actually thought Elgort's performance was much better than Beymer's and more accurate to Tony. Most of the changes to the numbers are for the better, particularly for Cool, and the rumble was really well done too. The only change here that I thought both hurt the film slightly was moving I Feel Pretty to in between the rumble and Maria learning about Bernardo. Why? It creates for this weird tonal whiplash between the two scenes that doesn't make sense to me and just doesn't work. Otherwise, very good movie. I'm not as gaga over it as a lot of the initial reactions, but it's easily Spielberg's best in years, for whatever that's worth.
8/10

The Worst Person in the World
My movie of the year. Holy cow, was I blown away by this. Such a sharp, poignant romantic dramedy with some real pathos and bite to it. Dialogue is excellent, pacing is perfect, and Renate's performance is just sublime. Loved it, I was locked in from start to finish.
9/10

Tampopo
It was a mistake to watch this before eating lunch... I wasn't as gaga for this as many seem to, but it was sweet and amusing, and I liked the energy behind it. It feels like the best version of a live-action anime film.
7/10

Stripes
Was inspired to watch this in light of Ivan Reitman's passing, but unfortunately it wasn't very good. Feels like a reskinned Animal House: some good gags, but mostly feels like the kind of thing I'd find funnier if I were 20 years younger and/or watching this 20 years ago.
5/10

Sabrina (1954) Humphrey Bogart will not be denied, even in the 50s when is age was starting to show. Not even William Holden stood a chance. Everyone did well in their parts in this, but at this point the age difference between Bogart and Hepburn (30 years) was impossible not to notice. A younger actor was definitely needed for the co-starring role. The humor was more low key here as well as there wasn't that many laugh-out-loud moments in the film. 7/10

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know I'm in the minority on this, but this is both my favorite Bogart film and favorite Hepburn film.

 

[Conditional-Pancakes]

The Worst Person in the World
My movie of the year. Holy cow, was I blown away by this. Such a sharp, poignant romantic dramedy with some real pathos and bite to it. Dialogue is excellent, pacing is perfect, and Renate's performance is just sublime. Loved it, I was locked in from start to finish.
9/10

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Hmm... I really need to watch this.

 

[Messofanego]

The Worst Person in the World
My movie of the year. Holy cow, was I blown away by this. Such a sharp, poignant romantic dramedy with some real pathos and bite to it. Dialogue is excellent, pacing is perfect, and Renate's performance is just sublime. Loved it, I was locked in from start to finish.
9/10

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Yes, another one!

 

[Sibersk Esto]

Croupier (1998)

An under the radar mood piece. Clive Owen shines as a man drawn in by the allure of control, shedding everything good around him until he's left in his little corner of the world that lets him play god. The direction here is understated but skillful, really drawing you into this world where everything feels like it's on a razor's edge, ready to fall apart with just enough pressure. The film's a little too clever for it's own good at times, as certain revelations that the movie thinks should be mind blowing are actually just contrived. But it's got enough atmosphere to keep you going along with it.

 

[mbpm]

The Lodge (2019) has a solid first half, but the second half wanders off in various directions which either feel disrespectful to the characters, the intelligence of the characters, or the viewers' time. Unfortunate. 5/10

 

[TheNatureBoy]

I saw the trailer and heard this movie had a weird angle to it. Thought it lived up to it, as it's crazy with how it unfolds. Definitely knowing as little as possible about it going in is the best method.

 

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

I was very disappointed in Meatballs. Had three names that made me think it has to be good, if not great: Ivan Reitman as director, Bill Murray the star and Harold Ramis was one of the writers. I chuckled a few times so wasn't a complete waste of time, just mostly a waste of time.

Can't believe Escape from L.A. got a 4k physical release. Sure it's the worst of the Carpenter/Russell team ups but still a lot of fun. Almost identical plot as EFNY but the tone is much campier this go around. Great support/cameos: Peter Fonda as a hippie surfer, Bruce Campbell as surgeon general, Steve Buscemi a can't trust Map to the Stars Eddie, Pam Grier is an old accomplice of Snake, Uncle Ben as evil President, and Stacy Keach and Michelle Forbes as the president's lackeys/babysitters. And bonus, looks like the Shout Blu-Ray is oop. Might be able to sell it and make a profit.

This was a blind buy for me, and it's pretty great. I wouldn't call it scary but it is mostly well made. Robert Forster isn't playing the usual type of cops we see on screen. He's not overly macho, he's not suicidal, he's just a bit of a shlub who's balding, which is brought up quite a bit who is haunted by his partner's death(okay, that part is cliche as hell). He really grounds the movie with his performance. There's probably too much padded time because a few scenes either feel too long or unnecessary. But it's only 90 min so maybe they needed some more scenes to stretch the run time a little. Ending is a lot of fun. Should have had a scene like that earlier then make that scene at the wedding even crazier.

 

[Sibersk Esto]

Glory (1989)

Glory is a pretty blatant example of Hollywood filtering a story about the history of black people in America though a white character's lens, and how much you're willing to accept that will definitely color your reaction to this film. It's hard not to see aspects of the film as too self congratulatory, with its stirring score backing scenes where Matthew Broderick's Colonel Shaw fights to make sure his battalion of black soldiers are treated fairly. It's no wonder that many people come away from this thinking that the film should've probably been led by and focused on Denzel Washington's character (and they would be right). But there are moments of affecting humanity here, thanks to the strength of the subject matter with some stellar cinematography and production design. I think it's ultimately worth a watch, but I wouldn't begrudge anyone for being turned off by the film's approach.

 

[maigret]

I was very disappointed in Meatballs. Had three names that made me think it has to be good, if not great: Ivan Reitman as director, Bill Murray the star and Harold Ramis was one of the writers. I chuckled a few times so wasn't a complete waste of time, just mostly a waste of time.

Can't believe Escape from L.A. got a 4k physical release. Sure it's the worst of the Carpenter/Russell team ups but still a lot of fun. Almost identical plot as EFNY but the tone is much campier this go around. Great support/cameos: Peter Fonda as a hippie surfer, Bruce Campbell as surgeon general, Steve Buscemi a can't trust Map to the Stars Eddie, Pam Grier is an old accomplice of Snake, Uncle Ben as evil President, and Stacy Keach and Michelle Forbes as the president's lackeys/babysitters. And bonus, looks like the Shout Blu-Ray is oop. Might be able to sell it and make a profit.

This was a blind buy for me, and it's pretty great. I wouldn't call it scary but it is mostly well made. Robert Forster isn't playing the usual type of cops we see on screen. He's not overly macho, he's not suicidal, he's just a bit of a shlub who's balding, which is brought up quite a bit who is haunted by his partner's death(okay, that part is cliche as hell). He really grounds the movie with his performance. There's probably too much padded time because a few scenes either feel too long or unnecessary. But it's only 90 min so maybe they needed some more scenes to stretch the run time a little. Ending is a lot of fun. Should have had a scene like that earlier then make that scene at the wedding even crazier.

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Did you get the 4K release of Alligator? Was thinking of grabbing that because I keep hearing good things.

 

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

Did you get the 4K release of Alligator? Was thinking of grabbing that because I keep hearing good things.

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I sure did. The picture quality is great. The audio is good too but it wasn't like it stood out too much. Dialogue was clear and gator sounded good so it was all I was hoping for.
Im digging these horror flicks getting some great physical discs. I picked up Maniac Cop 2 and 3 and Scanner Cop 1 and 2 a little while back and also, great picture quality and sound with all of them.

 

[maigret]

I sure did. The picture quality is great. The audio is good too but it wasn't like it stood out too much. Dialogue was clear and gator sounded good so it was all I was hoping for.
Im digging these horror flicks getting some great physical discs. I picked up Maniac Cop 2 and 3 and Scanner Cop 1 and 2 a little while back and also, great picture quality and sound with all of them.

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You have The Howling? I just ordered a copy, heard the 4K transfer was great.

 

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

You have The Howling? I just ordered a copy, heard the 4K transfer was great.

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I don't. I've never seen it. Maybe I should blind buy...

 

[maigret]

I don't. I've never seen it. Maybe I should blind buy...

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For my money it's one of the best of the werewolf horror genre, and I actually slightly prefer it to American Werewolf in London. If you like gritty 80s horror at all I think you'd enjoy it.

 

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

For my money it's one of the best of the werewolf horror genre, and I actually slightly prefer it to American Werewolf in London. If you like gritty 80s horror at all I think you'd enjoy it.

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I kinda hate American Werewolf. I don't find it scary or funny and main guy is a wet blanket.

 

[maigret]

I kinda hate American Werewolf. I don't find it scary or funny and main guy is a wet blanket.

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I actually like it less and less as the years go by but the effects are still unbeaten. But The Howling is wildly different and doesn't have any of ounce of the Landis tone or humor in it. I mean it's basically about a werewolf sex colony.

 

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

I actually like it less and less as the years go by but the effects are still unbeaten. But The Howling is wildly different and doesn't have any of ounce of the Landis tone or humor in it. I mean it's basically about a werewolf sex colony.

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I agree about the effects. Those are great.

It looks like my Best Buy has Howling in stock. I might go tomorrow and pick it up.

 

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

One of my favorite Coen brothers movies. Actually, a lot of their movies are among my favorite of their movies. This movie is perfectly cast and is zany as hell. You know, for kids.

My rewatch of the Nolan trilogy, stemming from me and my kids finishing up the Lego Tumbler, is over. This one is hard to get through. Definitely one reason I'm not looking forward to The Batman is the runtime. I will say, Pete Holmes ruined the big reveal

Spoiler: Movie spoiler

when Miranda is really Talia

from his Batman skits he did. But the one that lampooned that scene is great. Anyways... Glad that series is over. Really love BB and TDK. TDKR is fine I guess. Maybe they tried to do too much stuff in it. You know, without this movie, we probably wouldn't have the Bane we have in The Harley Quinn Show.

 

[Conditional-Pancakes]

You know, without this movie, we probably wouldn't have the Bane we have in The Harley Quinn Show.

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That's very true.

 

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

That's very true.

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Damn, I guess that alone makes TDKR worth it. I love that version of Bane.

 

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

In large part to maigret I picked up The Howling. The effects are cool but not as good as American Werewolf. On the other hand, I actually enjoyed Howling. Both had not great wooden leads but Howling's werewolves we're actually scary looking

Spoiler: Movie's ending

except for Karen's transformation at the end. Her werewolf was kinda adorable.

Movie also felt dirtier than American Werewolf but in a good way. I didn't realize Dante directed Howling. Had I known that I probably would have checked it out earlier.

Heard bad things about The King's Man. I really liked it. I'd put it equal to Golden Circle. Both not as good as The Secret Service. I didn't see a couple of the plot points happening and some others were obvious. Great fight scenes, especially that Rasputin fight. I'd personally love to see a sequel to this and a third to the original.

This was on history channel but I'm counting as a movie since it's feature film length. It was $1 on Vudu so why not? Nothing new here as I've read a few books on the things this goes over but it's pretty cool to see some of the people I've read about.

 

[Scrappy-Fan92]

Hello, all. I'm here to poke my head in.

My favorite movie? Don't know, Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Favorite director? Again, I don't know. Probably Steven Spielberg.
Favorite actor? Brendan Fraser, Willem Dafoe.
Favorite genre(s)? Comedies, adventure films, musicals.
Favorite performance? Too many to count.

I've been binging the Disney Animated Canon, the related sequels, most of their spin-off series, and live-action remakes on Disney+ over the past year. My most recent (re)watch was The Little Mermaid. Having now seen every preceding film, the early successes of the 30s and 40s, the package film era, the silver age of the 50s and 60s, and the experimentation of the 70s and 80s that gradually built up to the last pre-CAP System movie make the final product that much more impressive in context. Everything is beautiful in this movie. The character expressions are immaculate. The music is as good as ever. A fun time all around.

 

[MidnightCowboy]

The rough 70s Disney look >>

 

[Conditional-Pancakes]

Hellbender (2022)

• Rating: 7.5 worms fearing for their lives at the bottom of a tequila shot out of 10

• Synopsis: "A lonely teen discovers her family's ties to witchcraft."

I really liked this movie. It completely blew away my expectations. It's actually a damn fine (witch) coming-of-age film.

This is very much an indie affair, and I would say it falls toward the artsy spectrum of horror films, so if you don't like this stuff you probably won't like Hellbender. But if you do generally like this kind of film, it's a hell of a fun ride!

There's a lot to love in Hellbender. I really appreciated the relation between Izzy – the main character – and her mother. It's very interesting, and there's something very endearing with the idea of a lonely teenager having a private punk rock band with their mother. The music is also surprisingly good, I need to know where it's actually from because I just loved it. And some of the visual effects are genuinely great for such an indie film. There is some very impressive stuff here.

I would go as far as saying that the very obvious DIY aspects of the film play very much in its favor. They create a very interesting intimacy that really helps the overall mood.

But the DIY aspects can also play against the film sometimes. It must be said that at times the acting can feel somewhat forced. Also, I didn't really like the ending, it definitely could have been developed at bit more. At 82 minutes total, the whole movie could have used more time to breathe actually. But ultimately, these points don't really hinder the film as a whole as it really is such a fun time throughout.

Highly recommended.

 

[Scrappy-Fan92]

The rough 70s Disney look >>

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Found another fan of the Xerox process.

Hellbender (2022)

• Rating: 7.5 worms fearing for their lives at the bottom of a tequila shot out of 10

• Synopsis: "A lonely teen discovers her family's ties to witchcraft."

I really liked this movie. It completely blew away my expectations. It's actually a damn fine (witch) coming-of-age film.

This is very much an indie affair, and I would say it falls toward the artsy spectrum of horror films, so if you don't like this stuff you probably won't like Hellbender. But if you do generally like this kind of film, it's a hell of a fun ride!

There's a lot to love in Hellbender. I really appreciated the relation between Izzy – the main character – and her mother. It's very interesting, and there's something very endearing with the idea of a lonely teenager having a private punk rock band with their mother. The music is also surprisingly good, I need to know where it's actually from because I just loved it. And some of the visual effects are genuinely great for such an indie film. There is some very impressive stuff here.

I would go as far as saying that the very obvious DIY aspects of the film play very much in its favor. They create a very interesting intimacy that really helps the overall mood.

But the DIY aspects can also play against the film sometimes. It must be said that at times the acting can feel somewhat forced. Also, I didn't really like the ending, it definitely could have been developed at bit more. At 82 minutes total, the whole movie could have used more time to breathe actually. But ultimately, these points don't really hinder the film as a whole as it really is such a fun time throughout.

Highly recommended.

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Sounds interesting. Where did you see it?

 

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

Decent adaptation of the comic. I don't think the VA for Batman is done well very well, or Selina either. Everyone else is solid. Animation is alright, especially for a straight to video movie.

Did another run of Peacemaker and decided to watch TSS again too. Great movie, action and comedy are on point. Comedy is a bit mean spirited. Everyone is great in their roles. That said... Peacemaker show is so much better than this. Crazy that happened.

 

[Strings]

Decent adaptation of the comic. I don't think the VA for Batman is done well very well, or Selina either. Everyone else is solid. Animation is alright, especially for a straight to video movie.

Did another run of Peacemaker and decided to watch TSS again too. Great movie, action and comedy are on point. Comedy is a bit mean spirited. Everyone is great in their roles. That said... Peacemaker show is so much better than this. Crazy that happened.

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I have no idea why they didn't cut the Selina stuff in Year One. A real drag on the flick.

Have been saving Zero Effect for a rainy day because it felt like something I'd be into. It was:

Zero Effect (1998)

Daryl Zero is a private investigator and—along with his assistant, Steve Arlo—he solves impossible crimes and puzzles. Although Daryl's a master investigator, he doesn't know what to do with himself when he's not working; he has no social skills, writes bad music and drives Steve crazy.

letterboxd.com

It's a pretty unabashed update of Sherlock Holmes, with Stiller as Watson and Pullman as Holmes (and terrific - but I can't really think of anything where he isn't the highlight).

Just look at this absolute specimen. Truly the greatest observer the world has ever known:




Jake Kasdan would go on and become a way less interesting filmmaker (after Walk Hard, he'd direct Bad Teacher, Sex Tape, and the two most recent Jumanji flicks).

 

[Conditional-Pancakes]

Sounds interesting. Where did you see it?

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It just released on Shudder.

 

[Scrappy-Fan92]

Thank you.

 

[Conditional-Pancakes]

Thank you.

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I just learned that Hellbender was completely made by the members of the same family. And I by that I mean they made everything! The acting, the cinematography, the editing, the music(!)... It's amazing. My mind is blown right now.

This podcast is a great interview with them:

Ep#302 - Toby Poser, John Adams, Zelda Adams (HELLBENDER) | The Boo Crew

Listen to Ep#302 - Toby Poser, John Adams, Zelda Adams (HELLBENDER) from The Boo Crew. Your Boo Crew is back again for a second time this week to feature a new Shudder original film that’s a must see this weekend! Venture into the woods with us and fall under the spell of the new indie horror...

shows.acast.com

 

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

Pretty meh. It started off well but once the Seth Rogens starting fighting it just got dumb and the movie stayed that way.

 

[TheNatureBoy]

I liked the videogame aspect of the NPC's in the world, the rest of the stuff less so. Felt they could have done more creative stuff with that, but it wasn't bad to me.

 

[Naijaboy]

Dirty Dancing (1987) I don't think I've been as floored at how relevant an old movie has been since Starship Troopers, especially given what the asshole governor of my state is doing. But year, this is a romance film that manages to avoid nearly all pitfalls that films of its time suffer from all while staying fresh with topics that are being discussed to this day, most of all discovering yourself and not letting others bring you down. It makes 'no one puts Baby in the corner' a whole new meaning. 8.25/10

Summer of Soul (2021) 50 years is way too long for this footage to have been re-aired on television by now. Sure there's no time like the present, but so many people are dead before they could have ever been able to watch these performances, including the man who originally tried to make the film a reality. For those who did managed to make it happen, we all owe you a massive thanks. I was kicking myself for missing out on the ABC broadcast... only to be thankful that Disney+ has it as well. It was fascinating seeing all these artists perform, from familiar talent to some of the lesser known people. My only wish is that the documentary went more into how the film came into fruition because that could have been a story in itself. Still, it was a great effort giving out some context into why it came about. 8.5/10

 

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

I had seen Nobody before but my wife hadn't so we watched it. Odenkirk pulls it off. And that's what we all wanted to know isn't it? Hell, even Rza is decent and after Blind Master, I had given up on him as an actor.

 

[mbpm]

Audition was more fun than I expected considering I knew the basic plot structure of the film going in. People talk about the big dissection scene a lot but I found a lot of the more dreamlike sequences leading up to it notably more interesting and it's probably what I would think of more so than that part looking back. 7/10

Kimi was alright I guess. Pure popcorn flick. 6/10

 

[Hoggle]

Audition was more fun than I expected considering I knew the basic plot structure of the film going in. People talk about the big dissection scene a lot but I found a lot of the more dreamlike sequences leading up to it notably more interesting and it's probably what I would think of more so than that part looking back. 7/10

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Have you watched Gozu? It's another dreamlike horror movie from Miike.

 

[mbpm]

Have you watched Gozu? It's another dreamlike horror movie from Miike.

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I think I have tried it in the past, but I found it too weird at the time and didnt watch all of it. My taste is a bit more developed now so I might be into it on a rewatch

 

[Hoggle]

I think I have tried it in the past, but I found it too weird at the time and didnt watch all of it. My taste is a bit more developed now so I might be into it on a rewatch

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Yeah, it's a lot. And definite not for everyone.

 

[meowdi gras]

Am I the only one for whom the formatting in this thread is totally messed up? Browsing in Safari on my MacBook.

 

[Sibersk Esto]

12 Years A Slave (2013)

The reputation of this film led me to believe I was due for something theatrical and operatic. Instead I was surprised by how contained and intimate this film is. I was particularly impressed by the use of the frame, in particular the foreground and background, help make the subjects feel completely isolated from each other despite ostensibly occupying the same space. It's guilty of playing a few shocking scenes for high drama, but the performances and craftsmanship are fantastic.

 

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

Watched Encanto a couple times now and I love it. Even picked up the steelbook from Best Buy a couple weeks ago when I just happened upon it.

Bought a month of Peacock for MacGruber and there's a few movies I'm interested in seeing on there as well. The 355 looked alright and has a great cast. And that just about sums up the movie, great cast and it was alright.

Yes it's not a movie, but it's a sequel to a movie... So whatever, I'm counting it. If you liked the movie, you'll like this. It's really dumb, but in the same hilarious way the movie was. This alone was worth the $5 I paid for the month of Peacock. Everything else is just gravy.

 

[Scrappy-Fan92]

Hello, all. I'm here to poke my head in.

My favorite movie? Don't know, Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Favorite director? Again, I don't know. Probably Steven Spielberg.
Favorite actor? Brendan Fraser, Willem Dafoe.
Favorite genre(s)? Comedies, adventure films, musicals.
Favorite performance? Too many to count.

I've been binging the Disney Animated Canon, the related sequels, most of their spin-off series, and live-action remakes on Disney+ over the past year. My most recent (re)watch was The Little Mermaid. Having now seen every preceding film, the early successes of the 30s and 40s, the package film era, the silver age of the 50s and 60s, and the experimentation of the 70s and 80s that gradually built up to the last pre-CAP System movie makes the final product that much more impressive in context. Everything is beautiful in this movie. The character expressions are immaculate. The music is as good as ever. A fun time all around.

Click to shrink...

And now, I have rewatched The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. I don't know how to parse this one. Personal instinct and years of internet consensus firmly put this one in the "bad" pile of Disney sequels, but I clearly gravitate towards something in this film every time I watch it (though I only watch it once every few years). The actors are giving their all, including Tara Strong who's clearly having the time of her life. Mind you, I used to consider this film an unmitigated disappointment in my youth. It's only after two repeat viewings years apart (both times with a lot of psyching myself up beforehand) that I've properly softened on the film. That's certainly the sign of a good movie, right?

Maybe I just love the world of the first film enough to accept this sequel as it is: an additional means to see the characters. Melody shines (even if she's a physical carbon copy of her mother with an inverted motivation) and feels like a dry run for the more openly self-conscious Disney Princesses we'd get a decade later. They tried, y'all. I can't give an "A" for effort, but I'll acknowledge the effort made. I've even warmed up to the antagonist Morgana over time. She sucks so much, but the movie seems to be intending that, and that kind of makes her a decent foil to Melody. Derivative as the film's plot is, it could've probably been something truly great with another pass at the script. If it's a waste of my time, then it's at least an entertaining waste of my time.

 

[iiicon]

Last week I finally finished up two of my active movie-watching projects, a chronological watchthrough of Jane Campion's movies and a Scream watch/rewatch fest. I'd procrastinated on the Campion. Initially I wanted to have it finished in time for Power of the Dog's release, but then Criterion announced a 4k of The Piano in January so I pushed off starting it until then. With Scream, I tried to do one movie every week or two until the VOD release of the latest.

Jane Campion is a helluva director, huh? I'd only seen Top of the Lake before I started this project, so all these movies were first time watches. I really enjoyed the process of watching her evolve her storytelling techniques across 8 movies spanning several decades. Her movies are far more sensual and strange than I expected with my limited knowledge of her work, and I came to admire that over my little marathon. It was full of unexpected delights. I certainly wasn't anticipating my favourite work of hers to be a nearly-three hours long miniseries-turned movie about a New Zealand author I wasn't familiar with in Angel At My Table, or to completely fall in love with erotic works that challenge sexuality and gender dynamics in movies like In The Cut or Holy Smoke. That might be why I ended up finding Power of the Dog slightly underwhelming. I found it to be a fine, often beautiful movie that hints briefly at greatness, but it felt a little more tame than Campion at her transgressive best is capable of.

Meanwhile, my Scream marathon was a blast. I hadn't seen the original trilogy since high school (nearly two decades!), never got around to watching the fourth, and obviously the fifth was a first time watch. The first Scream is note-perfect. The score, the kills, the melodrama, the actors, I wouldn't change any of it. After rewatching it I think it's up there with my favourite horror movies. None of the sequels live up to the original, but none of them are bad either. At worst (3) they're a little dull, but 2, 4 and 5 all have a handful of great performances to make them a real treat.

With these finished, I'm gonna have to start thinking about what to watch next. I'm slowly going through Mamoru Hosoda's works and hoping for a VOD release of Belle in a few months, and there are still a half dozen movies from last year I want to watch before I'm comfortable submitting my best of list, so I'm not at a loss for anything to watch. And honestly with Elden Ring if there's anything I'm at a loss for it's time.

 

[lazybones18]

The Worst Person in the World

Well, there goes another 2021 prestige film that fails to impress me.

 

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

What's there to say about Nightmare before Christmas? Great animation, fun story and some cool songs. Henry Selick is a mad genius.

This is the movie where I became a Sean William Scott fan. Doug is such an original character and Scott plays him perfectly. Then Liev's Ross keeps popping up to remind us that there's a fight coming. Could have done with the best friend being a little less annoying, but Baruchel cowrote the movie, so I guess I should cut him a little slack.

 

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

Got a sick kid staying home from school and she wanted to watch Lilo & Stitch, then we watched the sequel. I love Lilo & Stitch and I dig the sequel. Can't remember if Glitch was direct to video or got a theater run but I remember it being one of the first sequels to a Disney cartoon movie being pretty decent.

 

[Conditional-Pancakes]

Scream (2022)

• Rating: 8 toxic fandoms out of 10

• Synopsis: "Twenty-five years after the original series of murders in Woodsboro, a new Ghostface emerges, and Sidney Prescott must return to uncover the truth."

So I could finally watch this film now that it's available on VOD, and I had such a great time! Wow, I loved it!

I feel it took a lot of what was great about Scream 4 and changed it just enough to make it feel new and fresh. Actually, I'm still internally debating which one I like best between Scream 4 and Scream 2022. I also loved how it skillfully plays with our expectations of what would happen in a Scream movie. The editing here is on point.

I also loved the cast! Just like Scream 4, focusing on a new main cast was definitely the right choice. And the characters are all great. I really liked Sam, the main character, she was very interesting. And I LOVED Tara who is played by Jenna Ortega. Between this and the recent movie The Fallout, I'll make sure to watch everything she's in from now on, this young actress is just so damn good.

Also, can we all take a moment to appreciate the character of Mindy played by Jasmin Savoy Brown? She rocks! I'm just a bit disappointed we couldn't have more scenes with her. After having recently watched the show Yellowjackets, it was an amazing surprise to see Jasmin Savoy Brown again, I had no idea she was in this.

But it's not just about the new cast. The old characters are also such a delight. It was so satisfying watching Sidney Prescott and Gale Weathers being completely over this whole shit while at the same time being... very proficient in dealing with this kind of situation. I loved how they integrated the old characters alongside the main ones, a lot of "requels" should take note on how it was done here (I'm looking at you Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022...)

It also needs to be said that it's clearly the most brutal movie in the Scream franchise – even more brutal than Scream 4 – which is an aspect I greatly appreciated. Some of the kills are amazing. And while I don't necessarily think the reveal at the end was executed in the best way, it was fun and I really like the theme they were going for.

I really had a great time with this.

And now that I watched this new entry, here is my personal ranking of the Scream movies:

1. Scream (1996) – The original just can't be beat. And no matter how many years pass, the first Scream stays as fun and feels as fresh as when it was released.
2. Scream 4 (2011) – As of the time I'm writing this, to me Scream 4 has the edge over the 2022 movie. It's just crafted a bit better I feel. I really like this film. The main cast is amazing (I love these girls), it's brutal, it's gory, the opening is jaw-dropping, and the reveal is so fun. Also, I feel the theme might be even more relevant now than it was when the movie was released in 2011.
3. Scream (2022)
4. Scream 2 (1997) – Cool and fun sequel to the original. I love the opening. Not a fan of the reveal, but it's competent enough.
5. Scream 3 (2000) – This one is frustrating to me. There are elements I absolutely love, like the performance of Parker Posey, for example. Seeing this fake Gale alongside the real one will always make me laugh. But some aspects make me roll my eyes so bad... I'm really not a fan of that voice changing device. And I really dislike the reveal...

 

[FRANKEINSTEIN]

Daughter stayed home sick again today so more kid friendly movies. Luckily both were pretty great. I absolutely adore Moana. Songs are great, beautiful animation, story is top notch. Never realized till today that Moana's dad is Boba Fett.

My daughter loved Sing(as did I) and has been waiting for Sing 2 for awhile. So being sick for 2 days I decided to buy it. Like the original, I wasn't expecting much and by the end I had a grin. Maybe I shouldn't have expected it to be good because we really dug the first. A couple people missing and were missed, Reilly and MacFarlane, but some fun new characters played by Halsey, Bono, Cannavale and the anti-vaxxer Wright... That last one sucks but she's very good in this.

After the kids' bedtime I finally got in a little more adult movie, The Untouchables. Probably my favorite De Palma film, possibly Costner's too. Although with De Palma he did do Carrie and Blow Out... I think I'd still rank Untouchables the highest. I hate Scarface. All that out of the way, I never really liked Costner as an actor till he got older. Always a bit too wooden but that woodeness really works for playing Elliott Ness. Then surrounding him with showier actors like Connery, Garcia, Deniro, Drago and Charles Martin Smith makes Costner actually feel like the glue that holds the movie together. Biggest drawback of the movie is Patricia Clarkson gets nothing to do but be the doting wife. I'm not even sure they gave her character a name. Okay, I went and checked IMDb, they have her listed as Ness' Wife. Mamet's strong point has never been female characters.

 

[coma]

Fail Safe (2000, Stephen Frears)

A live TV movie about a U.S. bomber accidently being sent to nuke Moscow. It has a solid cast (Richard Dreyfuss, Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, etc.) and the story is powerful and alarming as ever, but...no real reason to watch this over the Sidney Lumet film, other than as a curiosity.

I look forward to the nightmares tonight.

 

[djinn]

Watched Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels. Haven't seen it in a long while and I needed something funny after the finding out my uncle had died that day. It did its job and distracted me well for a couple of hours. Movie should have ended with the plane flight scene but otherwise still really funny.

Just watched West Side Story (2021). Amazing, as good as the original. Best I've seen from Spielberg in a while.

Rear Window

I thought I had seen Rear Window as a kid but as I watched the movie it was clear as day I hadn't. Maybe all the cultural osmosis had tricked me into thinking I had. It's obviously really good like nearly all Hitchcock films are. Hitchcock movies tend to feel like plays and this is no exception but they are just full of wonderful dialogue and generally great performances that tend to elevate what could be very typical in another director's hands. Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly are outstanding together as expected. I personally prefer Dial M for Murder for its camp and Vertigo for its artistry but Rear Window is quite good itself and the premise is of course the star.

Click to shrink...

Rear Window is one of my all time favourites, glad you liked it.