Movies you've seen recently II

[volinbham]

The Pale Blue Eye. An excellent movie. Of course, it's my taste as I do enjoy mysteries/thrillers. I'm also a fan of Christian Bale and he's superb in this one. Recommended.

I really enjoyed it. Compared to some reviews my take is unpopular but I thought the EAP character was over the top compared to the rest of the cast - maybe it was the accent/inflection but it seemed exaggerated compared to the other characters. Still a great movie

 

[SycloneJoe]

Guess who has their COCAINE BEAR TIX!!!!

I saw it yesterday. It was as I expected…dumb, gory, somewhat funny. It wasn't exactly my "thing" but many will love it.

 

[bignewt]

I saw it yesterday. It was as I expected…dumb, gory, somewhat funny. It wasn't exactly my "thing" but many will love it.

Don't see how anyone could go into it expecting anything different.

 

[Coug]

The Menu - It was interesting and entertaining. The ending, what?!

Spoiler

What the hell? These people seemed to just let death take them away. They had no fight in them what so ever. It makes very little sense. Let me be clear, I will not just sit there and let you kill me. I will raise hell and you will feel it before I die.

 

[bignewt]

Cocaine Bear 7.5/10 was about exactly as I expected. Had some great little moments was elevated by the solid cast. Some of the dialogue could have been better felt stilted but overall a fun movie experience. Worth seeing if you are in the mood for dumb fun.

 

[SouthKnoxVOL]

Finally got caught up on some MCU movies...

Eternals - 6.5/10
Thor: Love and Thunder - 4/10
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - 7/10

I'm really to the point where these movies are just becoming stale in my personal opinion. It feels like I'm just going through the motions when I watch Marvel movies now.

Now, I was pleasantly surprised with Eternals because I had heard so many bad things about the movie prior to watching it. I also thought they did a great job with Black Panther and transitioning from Chadwick Boseman and also finally introducing Namor...it kept my interest throughout. Last...my God....Love and Thunder was horrible and that's a shame because I really enjoyed Ragnarok.

The best way I can explain Love and Thunder is....you're watching a stand up comedian doing their set and absolutely no joke makes the audience laugh whatsoever. Then they try to shove the emotional stuff in with Jane Foster and when the final send off happens....it just falls flat...very flat. The only positive from that movie was Christian Bale's portrayal of Gorr the God Butcher and even in that he didn't get enough screen time imo.

 

[n_huffhines]

Finally got caught up on some MCU movies...

Eternals - 6.5/10
Thor: Love and Thunder - 4/10
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - 7/10

I'm really to the point where these movies are just becoming stale in my personal opinion. It feels like I'm just going through the motions when I watch Marvel movies now.

Now, I was pleasantly surprised with Eternals because I had heard so many bad things about the movie prior to watching it. I also thought they did a great job with Black Panther and transitioning from Chadwick Boseman and also finally introducing Namor...it kept my interest throughout. Last...my God....Love and Thunder was horrible and that's a shame because I really enjoyed Ragnarok.

The best way I can explain Love and Thunder is....you're watching a stand up comedian doing their set and absolutely no joke makes the audience laugh whatsoever. Then they try to shove the emotional stuff in with Jane Foster and when the final send off happens....it just falls flat...very flat. The only positive from that movie was Christian Bale's portrayal of Gorr the God Butcher and even in that he didn't get enough screen time imo.

I'd flip those scores for Thor and BP. I heard Eternals is so bad enough that I won't even watch it. Surprised to see a 6.5.

I finally saw Shang-Chi. It was pretty good, but I liked the first half in Frisco way better than the half that happened in Asia.

 

[95 Vol Alum]

I'd flip those scores for Thor and BP. I heard Eternals is so bad enough that I won't even watch it. Surprised to see a 6.5.

I finally saw Shang-Chi. It was pretty good, but I liked the first half in Frisco way better than the half that happened in Asia.

Even the skyscraper fight scene? I enjoyed that portion.

 

[n_huffhines]

Even the skyscraper fight scene? I enjoyed that portion.

I did like that. I just didn't care for the big set piece at the end with dragons and soul-snatchers, etc. Everything was much more fun when it was a little more grounded.

 

[n_huffhines]

...and that bus scene is an all-timer, IMO.

 

[bignewt]

The Eternals is unwatchable.

 

[SycloneJoe]

Cocaine Bear 7.5/10 was about exactly as I expected. Had some great little moments was elevated by the solid cast. Some of the dialogue could have been better felt stilted but overall a fun movie experience. Worth seeing if you are in the mood for dumb fun.

Funny how movies are. I'd give it a 3.5/10. If a movie is that dumb, it needs to be very funny. I thought it was lacking in a lot of areas.

The Eternals is unwatchable.

Now I 100% agree with you on this one.

 

[firestorm]

Young Guns
10/10
A very entertaining great Western Action movie about Billy the Kid and the regulators that have to defeat the ruthless foe Murphy and his brigade.
This Western Action movie remains realistic because Billy and the other characters are shown reloading the guns they are using, scenes show characters experiencing physical pain after being shot in non-fatal areas so this movie is consistent with realistic mortality.
This movie has likable distinguishable protagonists, a great main antagonist, other entertaining antagonists, romance that is not shoehorned in, a great original movie soundtrack, highly entertaining action scenes, terrific clothes that fit the 1870's Wild West era,high stakes, a conflict with no easy solution, drama, great climax, and a solid open ending.

Also, the movie remains very realistic because the protagonists need to think of a great strategy to win in the high-stakes climax since the number of antagonists is higher than the 6 regulators.
I do greatly enjoy that this movie just showed Chavez as a great knife thrower instead of telling the audience becuase the rule is show don't tell, also I do enjoy Chavez throwing knives was not under shown.
The 6 regulators are all shown to be competent protagonists, the antagonists are not foes that are quickly defeated so I'm not bored watching the action scenes, etc.
The movie has an open ending that satisfied me, the high stakes climax has drama and a high amount of action, and also a resolution that greatly satisfied me. Like Death Wish, (2004) The Punisher, The Crow, (1987) Robocop the movie does a great job showing why the 6 regulators want violent revenge which they can achieve by killing Murphy.

Billy, the kid uses a unforgettable 1 liner which is said in the climax.
The movie has a terrific chase scene with Horses being used, the music fits the scenes, good dialogue, memorable lines, characters consistently acting realistic, and locations that are convincing for a Wild West movie that takes place in the 1870's.


Murphy is a charismatic entertaining main antagonist that has an understandable objective.



Chavez, Doc, and the other regulators are all distinguishable protagonists. Also, they all are shown to be likable protagonists.
I greatly enjoyed the original movie soundtrack meaning songs made for the movie instead of mostly reusing existing songs, also I greatly enjoy the opening of this movie showed an unforgettable first action scene with the Regulators after the very unique credits that mostly look inspired by tv show intros.

Adventures in Babysitting
9/10
I greatly enjoy that this movie uses the romance song Then He Kissed Me by The Crystals in the intro has an excellent payoff because it gets reused with a perfect ending.
Anything in this movie should get explained is explained so it avoids the terrible writing cliche that is expecting the audience to understand a character's answer or conclusion without any important details.
The movie provides a strong explanation for why the Chicago Syndicate wants a certain Playboy instead of going to some location to buy that same Playboy magazine.

This movie has 1 climbing scene outside a Skyscraper that makes most people think that it's inspired by Spider-Man, the movie does a great job showing for a movie set in Chicago it was unmistakenly filmed there becuase of recognizable buildings, also the movie lives up to its literal title because multiple adventures shown in this family movie that has a babysitter Chris (Elisabeth Shue) as 1 protagonist.
This movie shows off the Marvel Super Hero Thor because Sara's favorite superhero unmistakable is Thor because she wears the Thor helmet, has a toy Mythical hammer, and has (Marvel) Thor items in her room. Also, she is shown reading a Thor comic book.
Also, 1 character greatly resembles Thor including the tall height, brawny body, long blonde hair, and he is shown holding a sledgehammer.

Mike Todwell is an entertaining bastard character that the audience will hate which is successful because of great writing. He has a great Red Camaro with the license plate So Cool which is a standout detail.
I enjoy this movie does have a character wearing a Cubs hat since I am a Cubs fan, also a red Ferrari is shown in multiple scenes since I love Ferraris, and red is my favorite color.
This movie is similar to Robocop because Chicago is shown as a dangerous city however it succeeds without hardcore violence because this is a Family Comedy PG-13 movie.
The comedy is well done without anything that I would view as offensive or painful to watch because unfunny.

This movie succeeds at using a variety of locations along with issues that can't just be easily solved, 1 main conflict that can't easily be solved, antagonists that have an understandable reason why they are chasing the protagonists, romance is not shoehorned in, distinguishable protagonists that all get a chance to shine in the adventure scenes so none of them are a frustrating useless protagonist.
Joe is proven to be a likable character, and he has a unique look.


The movie doesn't use any filler scenes, is entertaining movie start to end, good dialogue. Also, the Metropolis city Chicago gets shown off with multiple locations, memorable lines, a main issue that doesn't have an easy solution, entertaining antagonists, great acting, likable distinguishable protagonists, well-done singing scenes, entertaining dramatic scenes using heights, multiple adventurous scenes with stakes, romance that naturally fits in the movie, a satisfying resolution for a subplot, unforgettable satisfying ending, and a movie that finds the perfect scenes to use the romance song Then He Kissed Me by The Crystals.
All the protagonists are played by actors including Chris an 18-year-old played by Elisabeth Shue are believable visibly for the inferable ages of the protagonists.

Horse Sense
10/10

A great drama movie about Michael an entertaining irresponsible unlikable protagonist that learns the value of responsibility, and also about loyalty and love when he works for free for a month at his Cousin Tommy's Ranch in Montana which the movie provides a solid reason for.
The movie provides a solid understandable reason why Michael changes, and his becoming a likable protagonist is believable.
Matthew Lawerence makes a cameo appearance as a Cowboy in the Airport scene, and I noticed Brink a Disney Channel original skater drama movie is shown on the big screen tv when Michael is showing Tommy the tv and the high amount of movies.

The conflict is a financial debt flaw that can't easily be resolved, the movie provides a realistic understandable reason for why exactly the financial debt flaw started also got worse. I do enjoy this Disney Channel tv movie providing a strong believable reason for the realistic believable solution so that the satisfying resolution is because of solid great writing instead of terrible writing.

Joey Lawerence is the right age that I could believe Michael is a 20-year-old man going to College which might be the unstated University Los Angeles, and most likely Tommy played by Andrew Lawerence is under 16 because no information that Tommy has his driver's license.
Tommy is meant to be the exact opposite of Michael, and he is a likable protagonist that enjoys the Rancher life, riding a horse, living in Montana.
The movie has a natural progression for Michael changing, and why exactly Michael is able to think of a realistic solution that he uses is believable.
This movie was made in the era of Flip Cellphones which was entertaining, the movie gives solid evidence that Michael is a changed protagonist that cares about being a better person that can make a desired change in the world.
Mule is an entertaining Native American protagonist that stands out as unique since a Rancher character is not a dime a dozen for a Native American character.

 

[bignewt]

Funny how movies are. I'd give it a 3.5/10. If a movie is that dumb, it needs to be very funny. I thought it was lacking in a lot of areas.



Now I 100% agree with you on this one.

Meh I don't agree on Cocaine Bear. Horror comedy is the toughest genre to pull off. I thought it was an admiralable effort and was original which gets extra points from me always.

 

[joevol33]

Finally got caught up on some MCU movies...

Eternals - 6.5/10
Thor: Love and Thunder - 4/10
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - 7/10

I'm really to the point where these movies are just becoming stale in my personal opinion. It feels like I'm just going through the motions when I watch Marvel movies now.

Now, I was pleasantly surprised with Eternals because I had heard so many bad things about the movie prior to watching it. I also thought they did a great job with Black Panther and transitioning from Chadwick Boseman and also finally introducing Namor...it kept my interest throughout. Last...my God....Love and Thunder was horrible and that's a shame because I really enjoyed Ragnarok.

The best way I can explain Love and Thunder is....you're watching a stand up comedian doing their set and absolutely no joke makes the audience laugh whatsoever. Then they try to shove the emotional stuff in with Jane Foster and when the final send off happens....it just falls flat...very flat. The only positive from that movie was Christian Bale's portrayal of Gorr the God Butcher and even in that he didn't get enough screen time imo.

They could've done so much with Gorr, made it darker and emotional, but the bad comedy killed it. Gorr killing Jane instead of cancer, and him killing more would've been better.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

The Adam Project - 7/10.

It was ok for what it was, but felt a little hollow by the end. The interactions between older Adam and younger Adam was great but the rest of the story was just kinda....cookie cutter I guess. Also seemed kind of clear they restricted by I guess Covid protocols and budget because it seemed like there were about 10 people in the whole movie, all shot in big open areas. Which that alone isn't a problem, but given the plot about how history changing it is, seems like more than just a handful of people would be involved lol.

 

[northknoxvol]

M3GAN......a robot doll is made for a little girl by her super smart toy making Aunt. The robots primary objective is to protect the girl and lets just say she will get the job done lol. Very entertaining!

 

[FLVOL_79]

The Pale Blue Eye. An excellent movie. Of course, it's my taste as I do enjoy mysteries/thrillers. I'm also a fan of Christian Bale and he's superb in this one. Recommended.

I want to like this..but I've tried 3 times to watch it..one of these days I might finish it.

 

[Hoosier_Vol]

Watched Lou on Netflix last night. Very good!

 

[rocytop2624]

They could've done so much with Gorr, made it darker and emotional, but the bad comedy killed it. Gorr killing Jane instead of cancer, and him killing more would've been better.

She did die of cancer.

 

[615vols]

She did die of cancer.

I think he’s saying it would have been better if gorr killed her instead of cancer

 

[firestorm]

The Lincoln Lawyer
10/10
This movie is based on the Lawyler Drama high-selling fiction book of the same name.
A drama movie set in the realistic world of Los Angeles with interesting flawed characters, the twists are well-done, entertaining, and not entirely obvious. Los Angeles does get shown off with multiple locations, good dialogue, also memorable lines, the characters consistently act realistic, also fit the scenes including the serious dramatic scenes, the movie has stakes for both antagonists and protagonists with no easy solution, an entertaining high stakes dramatic climax, also a solid entertaining open ending.
Mickey a defense attorney is shown to be a likable charismatic protagonist, and the movie provides a strong explanation for why is he a defense attorney since a defense attorney is usually going to get clients guilty of the crime or crimes that they are on trial for.

Also shown to be a likable protagonist is his car driver Earl a black man that wears expensive clothes, and wears a flat black hat. Most likely Mickey likes Earl as a business partner because he does state an important line that gives this implication.
The movie succeeds in being entertaining from start to finish.
The antagonists are entertaining well written characters that have understandable motivations for their goals. The movie bringing up a failure by Mickey from a past case is not shoehorned in because it fits with the main plot.
While Matthew McConaughey has played Lawyer protagonists in past movies including in A Time To Kill that doesn't change that The Lincoln Lawyer is outside the box new territory for the talented great charismatic actor from Texas.

The movie does a great job of exploring realistic issues, anything that should get explained does get explained including why exactly Louis Roulet carries a certain style of knife, and how a woman can be a predator is shown in a realistic way that can't be criticized as exploitative or terrible writing.


Paparazzi
10/10
A great Violent Revenge Action Thriller movie set in a realistic world of Los Angeles. This is a Death Wish style movie.

Bo Laramie sees the high drawback of becoming a famous Hollywood actor. The movie has cameos from celebrities playing themselves including a highly entertaining cameo by Mel Gibson.
The movie provides a believable explanation for why the Paparazzi Photographers have the motivation to take pictures of celebrities without consent besides the obvious making cash motive.
The 4 Antagonists are all distinguishable entertaining characters, and the movie shows a believable reason why Rex Harper is the main antagonist.

1 Action Scene in this movie was obviously inspired by a real world infamous event involving the Paparazzi so it's art imitating life.

This movie has great action scenes, an original soundtrack with music that fits the scenes, a serious tone that fits the genre of this Action Thriller movie, flawed likable protagonsits, well-written antagonists, drama, characters that consistently act believable, realistic issues, Los Angeles does get shown off with multiple locations which not surprising because the budget is 20 Million Dollars, a suspenseful climax, a main conflict that gets introduced early, no filler scenes, good dialogue, issues that have resolutions, and an entertaining open ending.

Bo is creative with his revenge instead of being redundant so the writer may have been inspired by The Crow.
The movie avoids the terrible writing cliche that is characters giving incomplete answers that the audience can't understand because anything that should be explained does get explained.

The movie does a great job showing why Bo Laramie wants violent vengeance toward the 4 remorseless Paparazzi photographers that are the antagonists. Also, like The Crow and (1987) Robocop, the movie shows the Antagonists as remorseless Villains that the audience should hate because of using unforgivable actions that cross a line of no return which is why I was rooting for the likable protagonist Bo to achieve his violent revenge goal.

Bo is shown to be a relatable character including watching his kid play a Soccer game, shopping for groceries, etc.





(2000) Mother's Got a Date With a Vampire
9/10

A Disney Channel original Horror Action movie that has a fitting literal title.
This is a very original movie with a Vampire which stands out since Vampires as main characters have been used in multiple movies outside of the multiple adaptations of Dracula including The Lost Boys, Blade, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Fright Night, Interview With a Vampire, etc.

The actors playing the 16-year-old girl Chelsea, a 13-year-old teenager Adam, and the youngest 8-year-old boy Taylor are all the right age to be visibly believable as the stated ages of the characters in the movie. All 3 actors give good performances, and why exactly Chelsea and Adam want their mother Lynette to go out on a date is believable.
All 3 protagonists are active characters that have understandable goals.
The movie shows a factual reason why 1 protagonist sees unmistakable visual evidence that Dimitri is a Vampire, also 2 other scenes show a different protagonist seeing visible evidence that Dimitri is a vampire.

I'm very happy that the whole main character not being believed by others that Dimitri is a vampire has a believable reason instead of the uncreative terrible writing that it's a Horror movie cliche without a solid reason shown in the movie.
The tv movie has a big enough budget to show multiple locations, also a Red Ferrari car that Dimitri drives, and the movie shows a car dealership where Dimitri bought the Red Ferrari.

Anything in the movie that should get explained does get explained, the movie is very entertaining with past technology that is the not fast Internet era, and Malachi Van Helsing a Vampire Hunter that has a pager and a flip cellphone.
Malachi Van Helsing is a likable protagonist with a Brown hat that makes me think of Indiana Jones and he wears common work clothes including a trench coat. It's never stated if he's related to Professor Van Helsing the same Vampire Hunter that hunted Dracula so less is more.

Malachi is shown to be a competent protagonist, and I was rooting for him to succeed with his objective because he is a likable protagonist.


Demitri Denatos played by Charles Shaughnessy gives an entertaining great performance as an evil vampire that has an understandable motivation for his goal. Demitri is shown to be a formidable adversary that can't be easily defeated, and the movie does show he has a low-range telekinesis similar to the Force from Star Wars, and a limited range of mind control.
Entertaining action scenes, the music fits the scenes, no filler scenes, the romance is not shoehorned in because it fits in the main plot, drama, high-quality costumes, great looking props, high stakes, a formidable unforgettable evil Vampire, a likable Vampire Hunter, 3 likable protagonists, good acting, memorable lines, good dialogue, and characters that consistently act believable.
Charles has a lot of fun playing an evil villain in a serious Disney Channel tv Horror movie. I'm very happy this is a Horror movie that shows the Vampire Dimitri as a terrifying villain instead of showing an unscary vampire in a not Rated R Disney Channel Horror tv movie.
The movie has an unforgettable entertaining open ending, and I'm happy a sequel wasn't made mainly because this movie works best as not having a sequel similar to the great remake The Italian Job, Cellular, The Running Man, Total Recall, etc.



2 Movies I still need to write reviews for is Fool's Rush In, and The Art of Racing In The Rain which does have 2 great Red Ferraris shown including a Red Ferrari LaFerrari that was made to be the definitive Ferrari car.

 

[95 Vol Alum]

There isn’t a movie that firestorm doesn’t like.

 

[joevol33]

She did die of cancer.

Yeah, I was saying they should've let Gorr kill her instead.

 

[firestorm]

There isn’t a movie that firestorm doesn’t like.

I've seen movies that I dislike or hate. I won't list all of them because a lot to list.

Green Lantern
The CGI in this blockbuster superhero movie looks awful including the resembles face paint domino mask that Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) wears, the movie consistently shows Hal Jordan to be an unlikeable character, the idiocy of fighting fear with fear, etc. That's an awful movie that I refuse to watch because I had high expectations it would be a great quality movie instead it's a laughable embarrassment that RiffTrax would have a lot of trash to talk about.

Terminator 3
An inferior version of Terminator 2, and it makes Terminator 2 completely pointless because of an inane retcon. Terminator 2 was the perfect ending for the Terminator movie series.


Robocop 3
This is a sequel that was made for kids which is why as a kid I enjoyed it as a kid. When I got educated about why this movie is awful including the terrible writing, the intentional campy tone, etc I changed my mind since I greatly dislike this embarrassment.

Double Dragon
A very unfaithful adaptation of Double Dragon that I greatly hate including Billy and Jimmy never wearing the outfits from Double Dragon the Arcade game.
Double Dragon could be a great quality movie with a faithful adaptation of the Double Dragon the arcade game, along with a serious tone, Rated R, set in a Post Apocalptic New York City, and having hardcore violence along with the same weapons in Double Dragon the arcade game including dynimate, barrels, etc.