Movies

Been a long time since I was there but the main seating is normal theater stuff. The VIP area is the reclining leather seats and you can order food and alcohol up there

If they still have the bacon popcorn there I’d highly recommend it

Double Indemnity (Netflix disc):

A Los Angeles insurance representative lets an alluring housewife seduce him into a scheme of insurance fraud and murder that arouses the suspicion of his colleague, an insurance investigator.

Added this to the list from a couple recommendations earlier in this thread. Loved it. Classic "perfect plan" drama. MacMurray and Stanwyck are great (except for that obvious wig of hers ) and Ed Robinson as Keyes, I dare say is even better. Highly recommend.

Saw No Time To Die at West End - first time in a theater since probably March of 2020. Not the best Bond film but it was quite worthy of the franchise and a solid way for Craig to go out.

Intrusion (Netflix streaming):

A woman moves to a small town with her husband, but is rattled when she is targeted for a home invasion.

Nice intro, for the first half hour, got my attention, then it rapidly devolved into a Lifetime Movie Of The Week. Too much foreshadowing and obvious clues as to what the ending was going to be. To call it "Paint By Numbers" would be a compliment. Don't bother.

The 15:17 To Paris (Netflix disc):

An attempted terrorist attack on a Paris bound train is prevented by three courageous young Americans. Their friendship was their greatest weapon that saved the lives of those on board.

Based on a true story, and the 3 lead actors are the actual people that were the 3 Americans that stopped the attack. You can tell they are NOT actors, but that doesn't detract from the story, as they are re-living what they really went through. The event itself is a very minor portion of the movie, the movie is more about the character of these individuals, how they became friends/matured into adults, and how that contributed to their actions in the event.

Well-done movie, I do recommend it.

Just watched this. The one-room thing was due to the pandemic. The director actually directed from a van, due to someone getting the Rona on the set.

The action is all mental, and I loved it. As the layers of the story were peeled back, more and more questions popped up on to which way this movie was going, and what all the backstories were.

I thought it was taut, nothing overly dramatic, and the ending/end scene was done very well (the actual scene, not the skyline scene at the very end). If you like dialogue and character study, I think you would like this one.

The Tom Hardy movie Locke from 2013 was about 95% of him driving in his car and it was fantastic.

That it was.

Stowaway (Netflix streaming):

A three-person crew on a mission to Mars faces an impossible choice when an unplanned passenger jeopardizes the lives of everyone on board.

I admit, I dialed this up because Anna Kendrick was in it. Decent movie overall, but you could tell when twists were going to happen. However, I will give credit that you didn't necessarily know how that twist was going to go. Obviously, can't spoil the movie, even with a hint. "Ok, here's the twist, it's gonna happen in this way...shoot. Well, I was right....sorta." That kind of thing.

I'd say it's an afternoon-killer.

i was with you on wanting to see it. i will disagree with you on your review..

This Bond falls short in so many ways. It was PC'd to death. Lack of nudity in the opening intro / credits ( a staple in Bond) , lack of gratuitous sex, villain was ok, they took a wrecking ball to Craig story line and the ending was wrong (in my opinion) Trying not to give anything away while giving my review.

Craig was good and some of the action scenes were awesome.

My expectations were definitely not met and i was definitely disappointed in the ending.

I’m not sure if my enjoyment will be lowered cause there’s not enough T&A

T&A in Bond films was barely noticeable, sex scenes were never gratuitous and in thought Malik did a fine job. Meh.

Nudity in the opening credits is a staple of Bond films?

The silhouettes, yes. Haven't seen the new movie, not do I think if notice that without looking for it (certainly not enough to care)

Someone spent a bit too much time in their youth watching scrambled channels on Spectrum hoping for a nipple.

I think it was called Night Scene.

I literally never noticed it and I've seen every Bond film multiple times (except No Time To Die).

It's one of those subtle things, so you'd have to be looking for it to notice, most likely.

They've modernized Bond. Thus it's going to change with the times. They could have stuck to period pieces and timed everything for the 60's era but that is not what happened. It reminds me of a particular detective series I enjoyed as a kid. Nothing in those books work anymore because they were written in the 50's, 60's and technology has changed everything. I expect more and more changes to Bond going forward.

Changing Bond premise changes Bond. He is supposed to save the world, sleep w all the beautiful women and kick the bad guys asses. The ending of this movie is / was a joke

There is no reason to make it PC. Mistake in my opinion

Thirteen Days (about the Cuban missile crisis) is one of my favorite movies ever but iirc I don't think it ever detailed much of the "on the ground" spying that went onto solving that issue. The Conduit with Benedict Cumberbatch does:

Wonderfully done on all levels. Strong acting, dialogue and pacing made for a great watching experience and to my detriment I had never heard of this story until I stumbled upon this on one of my flights home. Highly recommend - and if you enjoy movies of this sort you should also watch Thirteen Days if you have not.

Surprised there’s no talk about Dune on here. Jason Mamoa is great and the cinematography is spectacular.

Wish I could have seen that in the US on the big screen. Will have to wait for streaming now that I'm home. The ads look epic.

We got halfway thru and said “we really should have seen this in a theatre”

I am still going to watch it but this is not promising for what it's worth:

Whoever wrote that Dune review didn’t do much research or even read the title cause it’s called Dune:Part 1 and it only covers the first half of the book with a second movie coming eventually to do the second half. And the “the book was better” trope is tired.

Green Knight (Netflix disc):

A fantasy retelling of the medieval story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

I started it tonight, got about halfway through, and was bored. MIGHT finish it (or try to) tomorrow. It's like a serious version of the Holy Grail or something. Borders on pretentious, but then again the acts are introduced in almost comedic way. Just a mess of a movie so far. We'll see how adventurous I am...So far, don't bother.

Got to the talking fox, and nope. Hot mess.

The Trip (Netflix streaming):

A dysfunctional couple head to a remote cabin to reconnect, but each has intentions to kill the other. Before they can carry out their plans, unexpected visitors arrive and they face a greater danger.

Noomi Rapace (Girl With trilogy, Sherlock Holmes 2, Whatever Happened To Monday?) stars in this, and I fully enjoy her work. A very dark comedy to start with, then it just turns dark, then it gets back to the dark comedy, a little. I will say, I know the US had made similar movies, but this one is a bit edgier, a bit more pushing the boundaries. I think it's a bit more well done.

Norwegian movie, so audio is Norwegian (subtitles required), so be forewarned. I loved it. It's solid in all aspects, and adds a few dashes of WTF-ism (that's not a word, but I am making it a word).

I have this as well as Red Dot in my queue.

Not familiar with Red Dot. Will attempt to add it to the list. Thanks!

Edit: Red Dot added!

Hypnotic (Netflix streaming):

A young woman seeking self-improvement enlists the help of a renowned hypnotherapist. But after a handful of intense sessions, she discovers unexpected and deadly consequences.

Starring Kate Siegel (who was EXCELLENT in "Hush," a very recommended movie), who does well here, with what she has to work with. The premise is promising, but the movie devolves into a cable-movie-of-the-week. Not Lifetime/Hallmark bad, but it does end up being a dud. It really could have been so much more, however, I think laziness just took over. The twist at the end was a good ol' college try, but meh, it couldn't save the movie.

Related note: in movies like these, sure, the characters don't make the smartest decisions, the kind where one says, "Ok, that was dumb, but I get it." There is that, but then there are "are you an effin' idiot?" decisions. The latter types of decisions are made in this movie.

Got roped into watching this one. What a stupid movie, and pretty much as you described. Could have been good, but it never made the jump.

Would not recommend.

Those Who Wish Me Dead (HBO MAX)

“ A teenage murder witness finds himself pursued by twin assassins in the Montana wilderness with a survival expert tasked with protecting him -- and a forest fire threatening to consume them all.”

While it sounds like a hokey thriller I really enjoyed this movie. Angelina Jolie plays the smoke jumper who helps the young son of a forensic accountant flee two hit men. Could have been generic but was very smartly done.

Watched it this weekend and it started good. But It spiraled out on me with the hypnosis as mind control premise.

It could have been so much more. And it went the other way.

As for "Those Who Wish Me Dead" it's the same deal, IMO. Blech.

I accidentally stumbled upon “Those who wish me Dead” and agree more with Zwak take…I thought it was OK ?

[hide]The lightning scene was where it REALLY started to go south [/hide]

Halloween Kills: very violent with many, many graphic kills. Some questionable acting and a major plot choice that seemed unnessecary make it just OK but worth watching.

Antlers: stellar acting, directing, cinematography, effects. Overall very good storytelling but feels like it could have been better somehow.

B/U: did they not realize WHY the first Halloween is LEGENDARY? Ugh. I was curious about this, heard some things, you have now confirmed it. No interest in seeing this one.

Antlers......very much on the fence. Depends on the gore/slasher/etc. Never was really a fan of that genre.

Guillermo Del Toro is a producer and Scott Cooper is the director. Also Jesse Plemons is great as the Sheriff.

The Harder They Fall (Netflix streaming):

When an outlaw discovers his enemy is being released from prison, he reunites his gang to seek revenge in this Western.

As the movie states right away, the events are purely fictional, but the people were real. This was a

Black

Neo-western

Tarantino-influenced

Grindhouse-type B-movie influenced

Eastwood western. Solid cast, I thought it was well done. The BIG name on the box is Idris Elba, and he's awesome, but IMO, he has a ways to go before reaching Regina King level overall in his career. Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2) is the perfect foil for Regina's character. Lots of action, some good drama, and a few good fight scenes. Definitely recommend. It does run about 2:30 for time, but that is not an issue.

Bonus: character actor/career supporting actor Delroy Lindo (Gone In 60 Seconds, Get Shorty, Da 5 Bloods) also co-stars in this one. One of my fave smaller-time actors.

Eternals is awesome. This movie proves what a great filmmaker Clhoe Zhao is. Her ability to take a very good Marvel movie and tweak it to be 10% better is amazing.

Got my ticket for tomorrow afternoon. Really excited for it.

The Harder They Fall - wild west action flick with Idris Elba and Regina King among others. Must see and I highly recommend. It's not flawless but quite entertaining.

Eternals was really really good. Definitely a bit of a different pace from your usual Marvel movies, but it was really well done. Great casting, great directing (we've basically come to expect from the MCU).

It never ceases to amaze me how they can drop so much detail and so many easter eggs into a movie that seem totally natural to the story.

Seized (Netflix streaming):

After a former special forces agent's son is kidnapped, he must wipe out three dangerous crime syndicates, if he wants to see his son alive again.

That wasted about 90 minutes time that needed to be wasted. The action was good...and that's about it. Every mission seemed like it needed to be repeated two-three times over, as if we forgot what the mission was, and in the end, it was similar to "Taken," minus a decent plot. Mindless movie.

Red Notice (Netflix streaming):

An Interpol agent tracks the world's most wanted art thief.

Starring The Rock, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot. I wanted mindless fun, and this delivered. Total redonkulous con-artist movie. The Rock plays the Rock (total bad-arse that doesn't want to be a bad-arse), Ryan plays Ryan (a snarky villian), and Gal plays Gal (the sexpot that in fact, is really a hard-nosed woman lead).

It does not pretend to be anything other than what it is, and it's a blast.. Very open for a sequel, lots of Ocean's Eleven and Indiana Jones elements here (and a few jokes/references that are obvious not contained to just those movies). Just sit back and enjoy the show. I know I did.

Respect (Netflix Disc(:

Following the rise of Aretha Franklin's career from a child singing in her father's church's choir to her international superstardom, RESPECT is the remarkable true story of the music icon's journey to find her voice.

Jennifer Hudson was the right choice for the role of Aretha. This movie does not hide the ugly, however, it still plays out like a Behind The Music episode. I really liked it for the little things. The tweaks Muscle Shoals does for her first hit, for example. You can FEEL the moment that it all comes together. That's the stuff that makes this movie work. Watch through the credits, it is amazing how her voice kept up until the day she passed. There's no real wavering, she was still belting it out. Highly recommend.

Concrete Cowboy (Netflix streaming):

Sent to live with his estranged father for the summer, a rebellious teen finds kinship in a tight-knit Philadelphia community of Black cowboys.

A nice coming of age movie, many of the characters are true life/real cowboys of Philly. Subtle at times, bold at other times...all-around good watch. Nothing mind-blowing, but worth your while.

The Nightingale (Netflix streaming):

Set in 1825, Clare, a young Irish convict woman, chases a British officer through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. On the way she enlists the services of an Aboriginal tracker named Billy, who is also marked by trauma from his own violence-filled past.

Heavy movie. Some disturbing scenes, rather raw. The revenge factor is the plot, but the subplots really steal the movie. Multi-faceted, it does take a lot out of you. Runs at 2:30 hours, and I feel it could have been 3 hours, no problem. You definitely "feel" the characters emotions, their motives, etc. Highly recommend, but I also would say you have to be in the mood for it.