Guys with their own fast planes (which they claim to be homebuilt - Lancair might dispute that) fly methamphetamine from Mexico to the US to fund a high-roller Hollywood lifestyle. They get caught and are given a choice to get out of criminal charges - go and rescue a drug agent who was caught by their boss. IMDB gave it a 3.8/10 but it is a lot better than that. Good action flight sequences and worth a look.
Ivanhoe 10/10
No other way to start the year, one tradition I always look forward to. Especially now, knowing how it confuses Sam Neil
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 10/10
No one is more surprised than I, but wow, amazing what life a great cast could blow into the lifeless husk that was this book.
Not only is Rachel Zegler’s voice amazing, she even manages to give Lucy Gray a personality beyond Manic Pixie Dreamgirl. Impressive!
Tom Blythe manages to convey a complexity in Snow that fell way flat in the book. He even manages to bring something believable to the flaccid romance and then final turn. Great actor.
And finally, the Dr Gaul that was but a cartoonish irritant in the book was genuinely intimidating when brought to life by Viola Davis.
So bravo, to the cast and filmmakers. 2hrs and 38 minutes I’d easily watch again.
Mr TrickNever seen Ivanhoe, interesting choice for New Years. Will have to take a look
sklol, haven't seen Ivanhoe in ages. Missed it this year again... maybe 2026 then. :)
@Mr Trick Swedish television has aired Ivanhoe every new year’s day since 1982, so literally my whole life+. If that’s not an endorsement, I don’t know what is 😉
@sk and your citizenship hasn’t been revoked yet? You are living on borrowed time, friend 😉
IMDB gives this turkey a 5.1/10 rating but it doesn't deserve half of that. The no-star cast actually does a decent job and that is the only good thing about this movie. The story is that eight strangers are locked in a room as test subjects for a new drug that gives them uncontrollable superpowers. Lots of gore including one guy who explodes and a girl who teleports her right arm over to the other side of the room then bleeds to death.
The Outwaters (2023) - 2/10
One of the dullest movies I’ve probably ever seen. The characters are so annoying and the horror stuff (when you finally get there) is so lame. According to Wiki the budget is $15,000, but even that sounds high for what we got🤣
NotASlayerI could fund a movie that cost so little! Well, my credit cards could... :D
In the name of the rose (1986)
3/5
Easier to get through than the book! Great make-up and prosthetics on the monks. The plot is kind of slow so the director spiced things up with an outdrawn, rather porny sex scene for Christian Slater. Great visuals overall, Sean Connery feels more like Sean Connery than a franciskan monk, but that’s kind of his thing.
Christian Slater is so cute all I could think about how my plans too, at the time, would’ve been to ”go to Europe, marry Christian Slater, and die”.
Minus points for most ridiculous ”slow march to execute three people” scene intercut with ”chase the real murderer scene + read a book while at it”. However, it all looked great, so aesthetically brilliant.
Where the Crawdads Sing 4/5
Just a great story, I recommend it for a nighttime watch. Havent seen a movie like this that has impressed me so much for a long time.
Day Shift (2022) 7.5
I don't know why this doesn't get more regard on the forum 🙂 . It's a comedy vampire horror directed by an Angel stunt double , JJ Perry . This guy has Whedon props up the wazoo , working on Buffy , Angel , Firefly and Serenity . He even credits the BTVS style as a inspiration for the fight sequences .
Day Shift is a riotous ultra violent adventure . The story elements are all very familiar but the execution is quite smart . As you'd expect from a martial arts stunt director , the action shots are the highlight . Some really tight fight scenes . Jamie Foxx stars , Snoop Dogg features 😀 .
This is my second time watching it and I thought it held up .
Watching this Michael Bay effort felt like punching my own brain. Incoherent, overly long, too many paper-thin characters, too many dumb lines of dialogue, too much shouting and screaming of unfunny lines, way too many explosions with a sheen of faux sincerity to make this appear as something other than a colossal waste of money. Even by Bay standards this was dire.
Rapid Fire (1992) 6.5/10
A decent low budget 90's martial arts action film starring the late great Brandon Lee (of The Crow fame). The main draws are the extremely well done fight scenes and Powers Boothe as a snarly cop called Mace Ryan. Now that's a great cop-name. All-in-all, worth a watch.
Pretty solidly middle of the road action film. Perhaps notable as I think it is the first film Cameron Diaz has done since she retired. She looks good.
I like the idea and actors more than the execution. The whole thing feels too rushed. Joshua Jackson joins a secret society but barely gets a taste of it before he is in mortal conflict with them. It would have benefitted from being longer so the viewer could get more invested in the story and the relationships. Overall, it is a decent movie, but the actors are better than the script and it feels very of it’s time. I get a feeling this was around when people talked about Bush and David Cameron and their college activities
John Wick (2014) - 9/10
Absolutely solid action film and beyond. Completely lived up to the hype I've been hearing for a decade now. Superb. And when I read the trivia section (as I always do) later, I bumped it up half a point more, learning about how important it was to the people behind it that it not follow the same tired action movie cliches we've seen a million times before.
Tragedy Girls (2017) - 7/10
Really fun concept and carried out by great actors (it was fun to see a young Jack Quaid in another horror film) who knew exactly what they were filming and how to get there. I went into it knowing a few things more than a viewer is supposed to (like the ending, but it wasn't like it was a twist or anything) but still thoroughly enjoyed myself. Definitely on my future rewatch list.
John Wick: Chapter Two (2017) - 6.5/10
This was... a disappointment. Maybe it's partly my own fault for listening to the rest of the world, screaming that the first 4 Wick's are equally amazing, but this was very much a let-down. All those cliches they avoided the first time? Pretty much forgot that this time around. Sure, they still did the 'reload' thing instead of 'neverending ammo', but that was about it. And the villain? Hated him. Absolutely top of the list of cliche baddies, complete with annoying speeches and smug superiority; the bad guys from Wick 1 may have been cliches, too, but at least they were still the fun kind. And don't get me started on Ruby Rose's character, the film lost half a point twice for stuff she did.
If I get the courage to try Chapter Three, here's hoping it'll at least be better than the second, even if not as good as the first.
(Rewatch) Ransom (1996) - 8/10
What can I say? It's a classic. I've seen it too many times to count. It shares a very special spot for me, along with films like Taken and Enemy of the State, of films that I put on when I just want to shut my brain off, watch something entertaining, and not be laughing too much. Just a nice 90s drama is just what I needed today 🙂
Hunga MungaJohn Wick 2-4 are terrible in my opinion . My one takeaway from the franchise is John probably shouldn't have a dog :D .
NotASlayerI think the John Wick franchise suffered the affliction successful films so often get; sequels.
I hope we’re done with “statement” horror. I liked this movie, but the metaphor is super clunky and blatant, which is fine but exhausting when it’s not really a topic anyone is ashamed of or shocked by. “Hollywood/society favors beauty” is so old and commonplace that I doubt anyone comes out of this saying “wow that changed my mind about that.”
THAT BEING SAID, it’s an effective and disGUSTING film that has plenty of body horror and also just disgusting food horror. Nasty nasty nasty. My major complaint (and the real reason this is down 2 points) is the abysmal ending. Goes on too long, feels too cartoonish, and is WAY over the top. Should’ve ended like 10 minutes earlier.
Juror #2 - 9/10
Excellent moral dilemma film. Nicholas Hoult stars as a randomly selected juror who might be the real culprit.
I loved the moral dilemma here, and the film adds so much vagueness that it really makes you question what is the right choice. You’re presented with a few different questions and answers as to “what is the right thing”, but the whole way of getting you thinking and the film itself are all well crafted. Well acted too, with plenty of great choices and surprise appearances (Keifer Sutherland????)
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Oh and I also saw The Wolf Man
9/10
Good body horror, really likable characters, genuinely scary situation, and a very very beautiful film. I genuinely feel like there is an enormous gulf of difference between Leigh Whannel and post-Conjuring James Wan when it comes to film quality and Whannel is the one I prefer by a mile. (They both got their start in the Saw franchise, hence the comparison)
I think another thing I adored was the atmosphere and dread. From the moment that werewolf scratch happens, YOU know what’s going to happen, and that dread gradually rises and grows as you wait to see what THEYRE going to do about it. Classic bomb under the table movie.
If I had a complaint it was that again, weak ending. The build up is great and I like where it leads us, but then the ending tries to be all sentimental. Don’t do that. Leave me with a good scare.
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Mr TrickThe Substance I think is nodding to b-movies is which is why it is so over the top at the end I think
John Wick: Chapter Two (2017) - 6.5/10
This was... a disappointment. Maybe it's partly my own fault for listening to the rest of the world, screaming that the first 4 Wick's are equally amazing, but this was very much a let-down. All those cliches they avoided the first time? Pretty much forgot that this time around. Sure, they still did the 'reload' thing instead of 'neverending ammo', but that was about it. And the villain? Hated him. Absolutely top of the list of cliche baddies, complete with annoying speeches and smug superiority; the bad guys from Wick 1 may have been cliches, too, but at least they were still the fun kind. And don't get me started on Ruby Rose's character, the film lost half a point twice for stuff she did.
If I get the courage to try Chapter Three, here's hoping it'll at least be better than the second, even if not as good as the first.
It isn’t your own fault. The world is just wrong. I watched it after the first movie (which I thoroughly enjoyed) and I was genuinely bored. Like, not disinterested. Bored. The opening “kill this lady because I told you to” plot is just boring/uninteresting, the whole “I’ve been betrayed” thing is really played out and genuinely a great example of how poor the rules of the world are, and the deaf/mute henchman is kind of lame. I think the only thing I really enjoyed was the metro fight, but that is beyond idiotic that no one would notice guns being shot off.
Movie 3 isn’t much better, honestly. The set up is better than the payoff to the “on the run from the world” thing.
That being said, I think 4 is VASTLY superior. I don’t know if it is because they brought in Donny Yen and a more Asian fighting style with him or if it’s just a better plot or what, but Part 4 felt like a genuinely good film. The villain is great and it has what I would consider the best “henchman” of the franchise with Cain (even if it does stretch the bounds of reality out of proportion).
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