Movies

The King's Man (HBOMax)

In the early years of the 20th century, the Kingsman agency is formed to stand against a cabal plotting a war to wipe out millions.

A bloody mess of a movie, literally and figuratively. Darker than its predecessors, tried too hard. It wasn't a fun action movie, which goes against the first two movies' ambience. It's ok, overall, but the contrast is overwhelming, IMO. Go with what works. That being said, the buildup to the first fight scene is ok. and that first fight scene is insane (which should have been the norm). They strayed. Give it a go if you are completionist, but other than that? Pass.

Halloween Kills (Netflix disc):

The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode continues in the next thrilling chapter of the Halloween series.

Forgot to remove this from my queue due to a previous review in this thread, but went ahead and watched it anyways. It is everything the first Halloween was not. It had some elements of the shadow games, but so much more gore. The lack of the latter is what made me LOVE the first Halloween. It messed with your mind. Then it got all self-important and preachy at the end...ugh. Unless your curiosity exceeds your taste for this franchise, don't bother.

Last Man Down (Netflix streaming):

John Wood left the pieces of a broken civilisation behind, to go back to his roots in the woodland, after a virus pandemic struck the world.

"Bloodsport" had better acting, and actually was a better movie, no snark, overall. I think that is all that needs to be said, other than it can't even reach the level of "great sh*y movie like "Bloodsport" was.

As a fan of the first two movies and a fan of Ralph Fiennes I was very interested in watching it. Like you I was disappointed in it very much. I was at least expecting Fiennes to carry himself much like Colin Firth did in the other movies but Fiennes played pretty much the straight man. Disappointing for sure.

LBJ (Netflix disc):

Lyndon B. Johnson aligns himself with John F. Kennedy, rises to the Presidency, and deals with the civil rights struggles of the 1960s.

Woody Harrelson was great in this. Underrated actor (if one really looks at that statement) IMO. It doesn't glorify LBJ, he was kind of an a-hole, but doesn't necessarily vilify him, either. He was forced into a very volatile and fluid situation, and had to deal with it. This is not overly dramatic, doesn't draw things out (100 minute movie). Would definitely give it a watch.

I’ll be first in line for Bullet Train! I love me some beat up Brad! Poor baby, let mommy kiss that boo-boo. :biggrin2:

Very Tarantino.

Saw The Batman last night, very good. Not surprisingly Paul Dano is killer. Pack a lunch, it’s almost 3 hours.

Just got home from it. Really really good. Not Dark Knight levels but closer to it than I expected. Second best Batman movie I've ever seen.

Agreed. Really liked it. It was a bit long and more like a crime drama or murder mystery. Only recall one or two big fights and the car scene so different than other ones. Overall, really good!

I would agree with this

That begs the question, which was the best? IMO, Dark Knight and Dark Night Rises are 1-2.....

My top 3 are Dark Knight, The Batman, and Dark Knight Rises/Batman Begins are neck and neck for third.

Without having seen The Batman (obviously), I'm guessing that is where I will land, also.

Last time I saw Batman…it was Michael Keaton. I have a lot of catching up to do.

Hi Steve. I’ve got a wallet. I like pizza.

The Nolan trilogy (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises) give the original Star Wars trilogy a run for its money as a whole, IMO. Friggin' epic.

The first half of The Dark Knight is nearly flawless. Then the Joker is arrested, and everything goes downhill fast. The dialogue is cringingly bad. The turn of Dent awkward and rushed. Basically it is just another superhero movie, when the first half truly felt like something that was elevated out of that genre. It doesn't quite ruin the movie for me, but it does mean that Batman Begins is my favorite. They especially nail the dark and seedy nature of Gotham in that one, too. I am looking forward to The Batman. I like Pattinson; feel it has been unfair that some pigeon hole him into his twilight character.

What really throws a wrench into things is Leto's Joker. At first, I hated it, but in THAT world, the way Joker was portrayed made sense, BUT they didn't expand the character. Given all the variations with the Batman franchise, you are almost forced to pick and choose highlights.

The Batman would be a borderline great movie without Batman. The character is given a bizarre turn in the final third that makes me question the writer’s actual level of love of the character. You combine this with a three hour run time and the final act and despite whatever box office it garners, I question where it leaves this incarnation of Batman.

I'd imagine the favor ratings of Ledger's Joker to Leto's is at least 5 to 1 and rightfully so. But to each their own.

Don't get me wrong, Ledger's Joker is untouchable. Leto's Joker is under-rated.

The Rube wrote:

Don't get me wrong, Ledger's Joker is untouchable. Leto's Joker is under-rated.

IMHO He's under-rated because he was ridiculously under-utilized.

I will say, I thought Paul Dano's Riddler is exceptionally good. He was the perfect combination of brilliant and creepy. He's not QUITE at Ledger's Joker level but he's definitely my second favorite Batman movie villain we've seen so far and it isn't even close, and when I watch it again he may well end up passing him up. Everything about the way he played the character, IMO, was perfectly done.

Batman Begins is my favorite of the three Nolan movies. Dark Knight is a close second. Dark Knight Rises is easily third for me. My biggest problem with #3 was I was expecting a final face off (no pun intended) between Batman and Bane. Instead he was taken out by the batcycle ridden by Catwoman. I really wanted to see some sort of fight that involved ripping Bane's mask of as the final blow.

I'll probably end up seeing The Batman but am in no rush.

The Elite Squad (Netflix disc):

In 1997 Rio de Janeiro, Captain Nascimento has to find a substitute for his position while trying to take down drug dealers and criminals before the Pope visits.

Subtitled, so viewer beware, but great movie about how the system works, and such. Character-driven, lots of action and moving parts. Great ending, obviously won't spoil it, but....dang....

This really pries into a person's character and mentality, IMO. Def worth a watch.

I LOVED this movie. This was my introduction to Wagner Moura as well...who ended up playing Pablo Escobar expertly on Narcos years later.

Yep, he's been in a couple things I've seen since I watched Narcos. Talented guy.

Never Back Down Revolt (Netflix Streaming):

A woman who is kidnapped and forced to compete in elite underground fights and has to battle her way out to freedom.

Apparently this is the 4th installment of "Never Back Down" (the title kind of gives it away, that it is a sequel). It's basically Taken with MMA and a brother, instead of sex ring and a father. Sorta. I went in with "meh" expectations, and those were right on, at best. Not terrible, I'd say this is purely a time-killer action movie.

Bullitt, (HBO Max):

An all-guts, no-glory San Francisco cop becomes determined to find the underworld kingpin that killed the witness in his protection.

Well, the car chase was pretty cool. Um, how is this a classic? Meh. The acting was stone-faced, the plot was ugh, and you sat through a lot of BS to get to the meat of the plot. I regret watching this.

I don't think the full movie has ever been classified as a classic, merely the car chase. Yes, the movie is quite meh. The car chase, in particular what they did for filming and what technology was available, for the era and the fact that McQueen did most of his own driving makes it an all-timer. The downside is that, yes, you have to sit through the meat of the movie to get to the car chase. I enjoy McQueen much more in the original The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, and the original The Thomas Crown Affair.

I watched some sort of show on Motor Trend that talked about the making of that chase. Really interesting. One of my favorite tidbits was that they spent a lot of time fixing the Mustangs, and very little fixing the Chargers. Those Dodges just kept on rumbling.

I agree with this. Kind of reminds me of The Exorcist. It was ahead of its time when it came out and freaked people out. When I saw it for the first time 30 years or so later I thought it was kind of meh....

To each their own but The Exorcist gets me every time. I watch it at least every other year and my spine melts with every watch.

From the time it came out in 1968, "Bullitt" really WAS the car chase. If not for that, it would just be another entry in Steve McQueen's filmography. Decent cast, but nothing to distinguish it other than those 10+ minutes.

The Incredibles (Dis+, the orig and the sequel, over the last couple nights):

A family of undercover superheroes, while trying to live the quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world.

Animated, as 99% of the world knows. The first one was about what I expected of it, entertaining, but not mind-blowing. Really like that Elastigirl (voiced by Holly Hunter, who I've always liked as an actress) is really the lead in the movie. Took charge. Ran things.

That being said, the sequel was better. More depth, the characters really fleshed themselves out, and although you could figure out the villain right away, as in the first, it mattered less. It was more about the Incredibles doing their thing and gelling as a family.

2 hours each, worth watching.

The Last Duel (HBOMax):

King Charles VI declares that Knight Jean de Carrouges settle his dispute with his squire by challenging him to a duel.

A resetting of Akira Kurosawa's "Rashoman," which is the same event(s) told by multiple parties involved. It was done very well, and very nuanced in the small details that drastically affect the truth. While based on a true story, after a few hundred years, no one really knows the truth, and THAT aspect is also represented very well here. The viewer gets to decide, without feeling ripped off of "Wait, what's the truth?!"

It's a longer movie, 2.5 hours, but definitely not cumbersome. Honestly, it's borderline for my "buy the dvd" list.

It was better than I was expecting, if you can get used to Matt Damon’s haircut….

I guess he was allergic (?) to all the prosthetics. lol.

It took me quite a bit to recognize Affleck.

The Incredibles franchise is still my favorite of the Pixar movies.

Brave still rules the roost for me.

I found it to be much longer than necessary. I did appreciate the style it was done in, but it was long and unfortunately felt long.

What would you trim? Each chapter got "shorter" since it was the same story...

Honest question, movies like this are rather divisive....

Some of the dramatic sequences that we already saw from another perspective. The ones that were predictable.

They went out of their way to spell out stuff that everyone understood.

Understood, and fair point.

The best Pixar series is easily Toy Story, but I very much enjoyed both of The Incredibles. I'd also put Monsters up there and Cars, although Cars has more to do with fond memories of watching them with the kids. Cars 2 and beyond did not retain the charm of the original, whereas Toy Story, The Incredibles and Monsters had 2 or more quality films each.

Finally saw this one, and I completely agree. Had this one come out first, it may have been a bit different but now it just doesn't measure up to the rest of the series. The storyline about the son took a complete turn that I didn't see coming. I guess that was interesting but I felt a little robbed that it ended so quickly.

I get it had some impacts on the main character, but just didn't seem to have the payoff I was expecting after the shock of the scene wore off. The post credits scene was pretty unnecessary IMHO. I get why they did it, but it has nothing to do with the next movies.

The first Incredibles is by far my favorite Pixar animated movie. Love everything about it. I thought the second one was good. May need to re-watch it. I bought the soundtrack for both as I love the music.

The soundtracks are definitely what set The Incredibles apart from the rest for me.

The Adam Project (Netflix streaming):

After accidentally crash-landing in 2022, time-traveling fighter pilot Adam Reed teams up with his 12-year-old self for a mission to save the future.

Loved this movie. Ryan Reynolds (and we all know what he is in movies ), but the rest of the starring cast is great. The kid in the movie? The timing and delivery is spot-on to Reynolds' characteristics, and seemed completely natural, not forced, which you find with many a child actor. I read the hype, and went in thinking "I dunno if this is going to be worth it..." and it was. The story was good, the actors were great, very much worth a watch.

Windfall (Netflix streaming):

A man breaks into a tech billionaire's empty vacation home, but things go sideways when the arrogant mogul and his wife arrive for a last-minute getaway.

Definitely a different role for Jason Segal as the burglar. The movie wavers between dark comedy and suspense/thriller, although it tries to focus on the latter. Fake Matt Damon (from Breaking Bad; Jesse Plemons, who's been in quite a few things since then) does play the cold-hearted a-hole quite nicely. 4 person cast, which is interesting (and I chalk up to pandemic filming?) but it helps the story, it doesn't hurt it. Feels like a play.

It's worth the 90 minutes for sure, if only to see that Segal is not just a comedy actor.

Black Crab (Netflix streaming):

In a post-apocalyptic world, six soldiers on a covert mission must transport a mysterious package across a frozen archipelago.

Starring Noomi Rapace (The Girl trilogy Swedish version, Whatever Happened To Monday?, many other movies), this is a really good thriller, very gritty at times. It is in subtitles, so take that into account. Has all the ingredients of hope, toughness, duty, morality, etc. Very solid watch.

Fistful Of Vengeance (Netflix streaming):

Kai Jin, a young Chinatown chef in present day San Francisco, becomes entangled with the Chinese Triad's pursuit of deadly ancient powers known as the "Wu Xing.

This is some crazy arse WTF Thai kung-fu mysticism sh*. Note: NOT sub-titled (surprised me, too, it is in English). Some movies toe the line between good and cheesy, this one Riverdances on that line. Great plot with the mysticism, good action, dialogue lacks...greatly. Popcorn movie for sure, don't even try to think during this movie. Just sit back and take it all in.