Movie Night (Official Movie Discussion Thread)

Expendable 4





Not Memorable

PRAISE : In this fourth go around for the Expendables they recruit Easy Day (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) and Galan (Jacob Scipio), for a new top-secret mission to get back nuclear detonators from Arms dealer Rahmat (Iko Uwais).
If you are a fan of Jason Statham like me add a point or two because he does most of the heavy lifting. There are some good impalements and kills .There's a really funny POV moment. I enjoyed how sinister a couple of the villains were.

PROBLEMS: Everytime Megan Fox strolled into a scene to deliver a monotone line I couldn't help but think of Kim Kardashians acting efforts. These films used to have that surprise factor going for it of an action star popping in to provide a 10 minute cameo but this movie doesn't even have that. I laughed when a character couldnt shoot another that was basically at point blank range.The movie can't even commit to a major turn it takes. At times the music is so overwhelming all I could hear from the actors was mumble,mumble and mumble.The green screen and CGI used in the movie is absolutely horrible. A waste of time and talent.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 4





No One Will Save You





Aliens & Alienation

PRAISE: The main 3 things this movie has going for it are a great physical performance from Kaitlyn Dever as Brynn,the multiple questions the film presents about Brynn and the movie doesn't waste anytime getting started.
I immediately wanted to know why everyone in the town looked at Brynn as if she had just burned down their homes the night before. The great direction,visuals and sounds really kick in about 10 minutes into the movie as Brynn begins to face off with the aliens descending on her home. There's some intense and suspenseful moments. The look of the film is great and high praise to the people in the sound design department for the film. Amazing how this movie only has one line of dialogue.

PROBLEMS: With all of the good things in the first half of the film it doesn't match up to the second half which is one of the most repetitive forty-five minutes I've ever watched in a movie. I looked at the screen and asked: come on you don't have any more than this? Coupled with the repetitive paths is the fact that I figured out the reason for Brynns alienation before the movie hits the repetitive road. When I thought the movie was going to dive into some more background about Brynn it wastes that opportunity and circles back to where it was before.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 6½
 
Catching up on movies I never seen recently

Memento
Shutter Island
Eyes Wide Shut
Catch me if you Can

Besides EWS feeling a bit too gratuitous as far as dragging out scenes, everything else was great
 
Memento is fire
Yeah I tried watching at a point before and I was like yeahhh I’m cool….

But I open my mind more and was rewarded with a great experience

The only Nolan movie I have yet to see at this point is the prestige

That might be next for me
 
The prestige:

IMG_8701.gif
 
The Creator








Very Creative

PRAISE: The Creator has a dash of Terminator 2 and Blade Runner but definitely has some unique and involving story threads. The story about ex-special forces agent Joshua who is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI.
The cast including John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan, Allison Janney, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson all turn in very good performances.
There was a story thread that held my interest throughout the film and I was in high anticipation to how it was going to play out. It played out in a way that was unpredictable and definitely hit all the right emotional chords.
Technically the film is incredible. Director Gareth Edward's blends beautiful landscapes with nearly flawless SFX .
From the start the story began to stack the decks when it came to the characters and their involvement which ultimately lead to a satisfying ending with tons of raw emotion.

PROBLEMS: A couple of hollow moments in which the acting was vacant.
A character was definitely in one note mode.There were definitely some predictable moments. A couple of things I couldn't get on board with that included moments when things were too convenient or unconvenient just to draw things out or try to create suspense.

Scale of 1 to 10 an 7½




SAW X






A TRUE GOREFEST

PRAISE: Tobin Bell returns in this tenth SAW movie with a story about John Kramer traveling to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure,he's hopeful but this is SAW !!
As the movie progressed into its 26 minute mark I was in high anticipation because I was awaiting things to go left and when they do it was worth the wait and I immediately began to smile.
The way the story is set up was partially the reason for my smile,because I knew revenge was coming.
Bell is as terrific as ever and it was great to see Shawnee Smith on the big screen after all these years. Praise to all of the other actors who had to endure a lot physically. The sinister characters,ultra cruelty all highly entertaining.
Sure some of what the characters are forced to and reluctantly have to do is over the top but I knew what I was in for and embraced it. When the after credits scene started playing I said wow this movie gave me everything I wanted.

PRAISE: The movie tried to explain away a couple of things but I still felt pushed into a high suspension of disbelief lane.
A couple of predictable moments at the beginning and middle of the movie.

Scale of 1 to 10 an 8
 
Gran Turismo (2023)

This was pretty fun to watch. I expected some quality racing action and this film didn't disappoint. It's wild that it is based on true events because the story is almost unbelievable. Though we have heard that the military and Call of Duty makers have worked together to create a simulation of fire fights, it was cool to see it done with driving. Even though it was two hours long, the story never felt dull and paced itself well. If you enjoyed Ford vs Ferari, you will probably enjoy this as well.
 
Watched Take Care of Maya on Netflix. If you have young kids, around elementary school age, be prepared to be pissed the fuck off. The way the hospital system treated this family, especially the mother, was insane.

Complete failures at all levels of the health system and judicial system.
 
Reptile





Cold Blooded

PRAISE: Reptile is an involving and haunting slow burn. The murder of a realtor slowly but surely turns into much more as Benicio Del Toro's Detective Tom Nichols tries to put two and two together. Del Toro is excellent in the movie. Definitely channeling Charles Bronson and Robert Mitchum.
It was great to see him team up with Alicia Silverstone again 26 years after their last film together Excess Baggage . They have great chemistry together as a quiet but loving couple in the film.
The cast including - Judy Nichols · Justin Timberlake - Will Grady and Eric Bogosian turn in very good performances.
Director Grant Singer knows how to raise tension and suspense in key scenes especially in one scene in which the sound completely vanishes,its mainly in the dark and there's such an ominous feel to it its nearly overwhelming. Music plays a big part of the film not only for the well known songs,but the feeling of dread it gave me as one scene blends to the next.

PROBLEMS: The red herrings in the film are to on the nose. So much so I could immediately eliminate characters as suspects. 15 minutes definitely could have been shaved off the movie.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 7½




Heist 88





Hindered Heist

PRAISE: Loosely based with a capital L on a real 1988 bank robbery that was planned by Armand Moore. It's the performances and some good moments of suspense that make this film watchable. The talent is definitely there Courtney B. Vance,Keith David and Keesha Sharp are all equally great.
There are moments of truth in the screenplay about societal issues that are still in place 35 years later. Another reason the film held my interest for some time because it focuses on the banking industry of which I was a part of for several years and how it was forever changing especially funds transfer becoming computerized which actually made it easier to steal. No phone calls and multiple confirmations that are featured in the movie, just a few codes and key strokes.

PROBLEMS: Definitely clichéd at times.Some odd and clunky scenes
The ending is so abrupt I had to do a Google search to find out what really happened in 1988. I found out the producers and creators of this film didn't even bother to consult Moore they just put together what they wanted mainly leaving out interesting facts about how things really played out in 1988 which would have made this movie so much better.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 6½
 
Reptile





Cold Blooded

PRAISE: Reptile is an involving and haunting slow burn. The murder of a realtor slowly but surely turns into much more as Benicio Del Toro's Detective Tom Nichols tries to put two and two together. Del Toro is excellent in the movie. Definitely channeling Charles Bronson and Robert Mitchum.
It was great to see him team up with Alicia Silverstone again 26 years after their last film together Excess Baggage . They have great chemistry together as a quiet but loving couple in the film.
The cast including - Judy Nichols · Justin Timberlake - Will Grady and Eric Bogosian turn in very good performances.
Director Grant Singer knows how to raise tension and suspense in key scenes especially in one scene in which the sound completely vanishes,its mainly in the dark and there's such an ominous feel to it its nearly overwhelming. Music plays a big part of the film not only for the well known songs,but the feeling of dread it gave me as one scene blends to the next.

PROBLEMS: The red herrings in the film are to on the nose. So much so I could immediately eliminate characters as suspects. 15 minutes definitely could have been shaved off the movie.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 7½




Heist 88





Hindered Heist

PRAISE: Loosely based with a capital L on a real 1988 bank robbery that was planned by Armand Moore. It's the performances and some good moments of suspense that make this film watchable. The talent is definitely there Courtney B. Vance,Keith David and Keesha Sharp are all equally great.
There are moments of truth in the screenplay about societal issues that are still in place 35 years later. Another reason the film held my interest for some time because it focuses on the banking industry of which I was a part of for several years and how it was forever changing especially funds transfer becoming computerized which actually made it easier to steal. No phone calls and multiple confirmations that are featured in the movie, just a few codes and key strokes.

PROBLEMS: Definitely clichéd at times.Some odd and clunky scenes
The ending is so abrupt I had to do a Google search to find out what really happened in 1988. I found out the producers and creators of this film didn't even bother to consult Moore they just put together what they wanted mainly leaving out interesting facts about how things really played out in 1988 which would have made this movie so much better.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 6½



Already copped H88 will try and watch this weekend.
 
Watching TDK rn and I gotta say for all the comic book movie talk we don't give The Dark Knight it's flowers. It's not just the best superhero film it's one of the best films of all time period. Everyone gives heath the credit cause he died but there was a lot of excellence going on that I've seen go overlooked over the years.

It's in the Shawshank, Malcom X, Interstellar, Goodfellas, Forrest Gump range of top tier films I'm always stopping to watch and never get tired of seeing.
 
Fear the Night



Fear this Fumble

PRAISE: The poster for this new action flick starring Maggie Q popped up on the Showtime app and I said why not I like Maggie and action.
The story is about a bunch of ladies having a Bachelorette party in the middle of nowhere and some sinister dudes descend upon them.
I was genuinely shocked by a few kills once this movie gets going about 36 minutes in and like I said I like Maggie so it was fun watching her do her thing. A couple of brutal moments and some salty dialogue held my interest for awhile. Some good unintentional laughs.

PROBLEMS: I couldn't decide which characters were worse the bad guys or the women who were constantly bickering and complaining even when outright murder was happening all around them. The reactions to death seemed to be shrugged off by most of the characters. The dialogue is awful and then some. I was awaiting a big payoff scene that was over within seconds. The movie is only 90 minutes but it felt twice the length.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 3½
 
The Creator








Very Creative

PRAISE: The Creator has a dash of Terminator 2 and Blade Runner but definitely has some unique and involving story threads. The story about ex-special forces agent Joshua who is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI.
The cast including John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan, Allison Janney, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson all turn in very good performances.
There was a story thread that held my interest throughout the film and I was in high anticipation to how it was going to play out. It played out in a way that was unpredictable and definitely hit all the right emotional chords.
Technically the film is incredible. Director Gareth Edward's blends beautiful landscapes with nearly flawless SFX .
From the start the story began to stack the decks when it came to the characters and their involvement which ultimately lead to a satisfying ending with tons of raw emotion.

PROBLEMS: A couple of hollow moments in which the acting was vacant.
A character was definitely in one note mode.There were definitely some predictable moments. A couple of things I couldn't get on board with that included moments when things were too convenient or unconvenient just to draw things out or try to create suspense.

Scale of 1 to 10 an 7½







Tryna cop this in HD 720 or +.
 
Fair Play






Office Offences

PRAISE: Just watching the opening scenes of this movie that includes the couple Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) who can't keep their hands off of each other and where those scenes go I knew what I was in for.
As one ascends in corporate America and one slowly but surely spiral it was interesting to watch their relationship evolve into something they likely never would have dreamed of.
Anyone that has ever been a part of corporate America and watched their coworkers or even themselves rise and fall will relate to what happens in the offices in this movie. Even witnessing an in office relationship go sour in this film may make people think twice about having one. This speaks to how effective Chloe Domonts screen play,Direction and the performances are in this movie is. The actors hit their marks and then some. A great display of envy,jealousy and pushing oneself to the brink of near madness. The suspense is definitely in place and all I could think about was the last line in the movie Gone Girl : What will we do to each other?

PROBLEMS: I had issues with how a couple of things played out in the movie. I know people make mistakes in how they end a relationship. But the way things play out so brutally for the characters before the final act and what the characters do during it just didn't ring true.

Scale of 1 to 10 an 8
 
Currently watching the OG version...
Screenshot_20231014_152206_Samsung Internet.jpg


Fellas if a vampire smashes ya girl and partially turns her...you still tryin to save her? Lol!

Also...I liked part 2 better than the 1st. The remake wit Colin Ferrel was trash.
 
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