What I've Been Watching: The Catch-All Film Thread

Kevin Smith is someone I think really lost his mojo. Some of those old movies were great fun, but most of his recent stuff I've found terrible.
I never thought he had that much mojo to be honest. I've always found his stuff mildly entertaining at best. I think he peaked with Clerks II and the first Jay & Silent Bob movie.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,017
Location
Florida, US
I never thought he had that much mojo to be honest. I've always found his stuff mildly entertaining at best. I think he peaked with Clerks II and the first Jay & Silent Bob movie.
I just tried watching Mall Rats with my girlfriend. I don't know if it gets better or not, but the beginning makes it seem unwatchable. So unwatchable, we stopped watching.

My girlfriend usually falls asleep immediately when we watch a superhero movie, but she not only stayed awake, but enjoyed "Black Adam." I did too. Pretty good movie. Not great, but entertaining and worth watching.

Now that "Everything, Everywhere," is on streaming for rent, I finally got one of my kids to watch with me. She liked it, but didn't love it. I cried like a little baby again. I really don't understand how this movie isn't a bigger deal or why no one I know in real life doesn't love it as much as I do. But when I read audience reviews on IMDB my feelings are validated. Tons of people agree with me; I just wish I knew one in real life so we could squeal about it together in person.
 
Joined
Sep 27, 2022
Messages
291
After meaning to have watched this some time ago, I got around to viewing the third Clerks film. The first third or so was decent, the second less than average, and the finish was just....not good. If I ever re-watch the series again, I'll just be visiting the first two, no need to ever view this one again.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
18,685
Location
Holly Hill, FL.
On the Line with Mel Gibson. I'm always on the lookout for a new Mel Gibson film but this was absolutely awful. The first 80% is boring and predictable... and then it jumps off the rails so much for the end that it leaves you wondering what the hell just happened.

4/10
 
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
5,973
Location
Florida, USA
Just saw Barbarian. And it was decent, but nothing too remarkable imo. It kind of reminded me of some other horror movies. It was competently done, but the idea is kind of derivative. As I said, I'm sure I saw other movies with similar themes. But maybe not for some years now, and I think that because of that the idea feels kind of fresh again.
 
Joined
Jul 31, 2007
Messages
6,132
Just saw Barbarian. And it was decent, but nothing too remarkable imo. It kind of reminded me of some other horror movies. It was competently done, but the idea is kind of derivative. As I said, I'm sure I saw other movies with similar themes. But maybe not for some years now, and I think that because of that the idea feels kind of fresh again.
The story wasn't totally unique, but I thought the way they told it was pretty cool. In particular, the way it suddenly jumped at certain points to focus on different people and change the feel. I can't think of another horror flick that was very similar.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,017
Location
Florida, US
The story wasn't totally unique, but I thought the way they told it was pretty cool. In particular, the way it suddenly jumped at certain points to focus on different people and change the feel. I can't think of another horror flick that was very similar.
Yeah, it did have more unique and particular pacing and editing.

I laughed out loud when the actor dude's first reaction to finding the scary tunnels underneath his house was to start measuring spaces. That was a good joke. It did sort of kill the scare factor and tension for me, but it was still ok.
 
Joined
Jul 31, 2007
Messages
6,132
Yep, they used Justin Long for comic relief more than once in the film. Have you ever seen Jeeper Creepers? It's an older horror flick he's in, and that one is worth watching as well.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,017
Location
Florida, US
Black Adam

I wasn't expecting this thing to win any awards, but good god it was worse than I had anticipated - and so derivative! From the opening fight that was clearly a ripoff of Quicksilver's famous scenes in Xmen; to the utterly forgettable members of the "Justice Society"; to one of the most trite antagonists ever put to film, it was all just so utterly bland! The start of the film has a slight tinge of anti-imperialism messaging, but even that is quickly abandoned "lest it offend someone - anyone, " so sayeth a committee.

I just don't understand how DC can continue having the bean-counters write their screenplays, movie after movie. Absolute rubbish!

3/10
 
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
5,973
Location
Florida, USA
The first Jeeper Creepers I really like, the second I found not quite as good, though I'll watch practically anything with Ray Wise in it. That first film I find myself re-watching every two to three years.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
18,685
Location
Holly Hill, FL.
I watched Black Adam last night and have to say, for the most part, I quite liked what I saw. You know, I grew up as a young one reading far more Marvel comics than I ever did DC, yet I'd say that the DC films do a better job of staying faithful to the characters, for the most part, than their counterparts. I especially enjoyed seeing a damn flawless interpretation of Dr. Fate, a character that had to be damn hard to conceptualize for a film, and I'd say they did a superb job with not only him, but the standing Justice Society as well.

And that cameo at the end.....damn. Just damn!
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
18,685
Location
Holly Hill, FL.
I watched Black Adam last night and have to say, for the most part, I quite liked what I saw. You know, I grew up as a young one reading far more Marvel comics than I ever did DC, yet I'd say that the DC films do a better job of staying faithful to the characters, for the most part, than their counterparts. I especially enjoyed seeing a damn flawless interpretation of Dr. Fate, a character that had to be damn hard to conceptualize for a film, and I'd say they did a superb job with not only him, but the standing Justice Society as well.

I guess the difference between you and me in our perspectives is that I've never really been a terribly big comic fan - certainly not actual [paper] comics. To me, Black Adam just came across as a derivative montage of copycat scenes and characters. I understand that there's a history to the portrayed characters, but to the average person they just come across as dollar store variants of Dr. Strange, Ant-Man, and some "Hawk guy" already seen in both the Marvel Universe and Watchmen. It didn't help that they got practically no introduction before being thrust together on Professor Xavier's SR-71.

I think it was a horrible decision on DC Comics' part to use character themes that are cliche after the last 20 years of Superhero overload (unless you're already a fan of the material). Character opinions aside, I still maintain that the antagonists of the film were absolute junk.
 
Joined
Nov 10, 2008
Messages
5,973
Location
Florida, USA
Vesper

It's a sci-fi\post-apoc indie film from Lithuania that I stumbled upon after seeing the trailer on YouTube. Not mind-blowing, but it has some cool ideas. Worth watching if you like the genre.

 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,017
Location
Florida, US
I watched Prey last night.

I thought it was pretty average. I was expecting more since it had been well received around here, but there were too many implausible situations especially in regards to how the girl constantly overcame stronger opponents. It was also historically inaccurate in a way that annoyed me. Comanches hunting lions?
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,017
Location
Florida, US
I watched Nope last night, I enjoyed it for the most part. Yeah, it had a fair share of annoying tropes yet any film that can make smart, productive use of equines is likely to find favour with me. And there were some twists that I never saw coming, not a perfect film yet enjoyable.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2011
Messages
18,685
Location
Holly Hill, FL.
The first part of the movie I thought was interesting and creepy, and I thought I was going to enjoy it. But then the movie takes a sharp left turn, and I found the rest about as scary as an episode of Scooby Doo. I watched till the end, as it all seemed to make so little sense that I thought a big twist about what's really going on was coming. But nope, just a bland ending.
 
Joined
Nov 8, 2014
Messages
12,085
I watched the Hellraiser reboot today. Obvious injection of woke aside, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I had really low expectations going in though so that probably helped. That said, it was nowhere near as good as the original.
 
Joined
Oct 21, 2006
Messages
39,017
Location
Florida, US
Horror movies wot I watched recently:

Barbarian
I like this quite a lot. It helped that I avoided reading too much about the movie, so it kept me guessing about what sort of horror movie it really was.
Two minor criticisms:
I didn't buy the way the cops acted.
It made sense at the beginning that they would see the heroine as some sort of crack loser and not heed her. They should have left it at that - but once they had the scene where they take her there and see her and the other dude's shiny newish cars outside an obvious AirBnB scenario it seems unlikely they wouldn't have followed it up, especially given the publicity around certain female kidnappings/imprisonments IRL.
Also, maybe I've watched way too many horror movies but the "villain" was way too familiar in appearance.
If you've seen the last bits of [REC], or some other movies, you'll know what I mean. Though, saying the movie as a whole was a copy of [REC] like I've seen a couple of critics say, is a massive stretch. Anyone going into this and expecting a shaky cam zombie movie is going to be disappointed.
All of the acting was excellent in this one. Justin Long FTW. 8 temperamental torches that fail when you least want then to out of 10.

Smile
Not as good as I had hoped, but not bad either. Some good lead performances, but also some a few dud ones by minor parts. In a couple of places (e.g., the scene with the cops) it was like the director took some first takes and said "that'll do".
While the most effectively creepy parts are probably shown in the trailer, I thought it was well done in the main... until the last 10 minutes when
a completely unnecessary CGI monstrosity romps into the movie, spoiling the atmosphere
.
6.5 goofy smiles while holding a knife behind your back out of 10.

Hellraiser
I'm a big fan of the original, which I pirated on VHS and watched umpteen times. Same with the second. Then they basically went to shit, so I didn't have high hopes for this one.
But, as @JDR13 says above, that probably helped. I didn't think it was great, but I didn't hate it either. The new (female) cenobites were pretty good, and the new lore about the various box configurations was interesting.
Once again, acting was a mixed bag. The female lead did well, but some of the others didn't really sell it (e.g., the dude she helps). The manipulation of the lead was an unconvincing plot contrivance to set up the last act, and overall, it would have been improved by a bit of tightening up. Chop out 15 minutes and the improved pacing would have lifted it a bit.
As it stands, 6.5 fish hooks that you really don't want to get caught in your flesh because it'll really smart out of 10.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
2,203
Location
New Zealand
Back
Top Bottom