Actually, I want to throw 4 in as well. 4-7 is the best stretch.

Thoroughbreds (2017) - 8/10

Really liked this. For a 1st time writer/director this is very well shot and very well directed. If this was the first thing i had seen Anya Taylor Joy in id assume she was going to be a star. A lot of whati liked though isin the script and i think what makes it work is these characters are constantly acting in ways i couldnt predict.

Predict isnt the right word. I deliberately try to not predict where a narrative is goingu less the film is specifically asking me to. Unexpected perhaps. Their agency all works in the confines of their characters but with the exception of Olivia Cooks character no one is particularly forthcoming with who they are. This made for a pretty captivating watch but i think in the context of this post the less said the better.

The film markets itself off a review quote of something to the effect of "a teen-girl american psycho" and while this is not in the same universe of quality on paper, as a premise, i can see it.

Can we straighten up a bit in here please?

Watching a 2016 movie called Trapped. Surprisingly good.

Watching the second Jumanji movie and Rock is doing a horrible horrible impression of DeVito.

Awkwafina is in this...you know what that means

It means Seanny has seen this!

Went out and saw the newest Spider-Verse movie this week. Shit was bonkers. I loved it.

Im waiting for bluray but it looks great

The Flash - 8/10

Enjoyed it for the most part, and I have a bias towards DC characters.

This post is sponsored by Little Jimmy
 

Elemental - 3 1/4 stars out of 4

I don't care how much money it did or didn't make. This is the kind of shit from Pixar that I enjoy. It's beautifully animated, incredibly creative, and, yes, touching and cute.

It's a love story at its core, supplemented by a lot of allegorical points that will probably go over the heads of really young kids, but it will absolutely hit a bullseye and resonate with people who have gone through the predicament of the protagonist and her family. It's a bit long for the story it's trying to tell and there are some groaners as far as jokes go and what they're going for is stuff you have no doubt seen in other movies, but sticking with it to the end is absolutely worth it. When you've got some gasps and 'awws' from the audience, you're doing something right. I'm still waiting for the Pixar film that's going to knock Inside Out off my personal perch of being my favorite, but I will absolutely watch this again.

Baxter (1989) - 8/10


Absolutely loved this French film about a dog. Baxter is a bull terirer. At the time its was the Rottweiler of its era. Illegal in the US even. Baxter is a dog looking fpr the right master and the story unfolds from his perspective with the narration being his thoughts. The issue is he's a sociopath.

The movie goes to some pretty dark places but its also really funny. Its not streaming anywhere but if you ever get the chance id recommend it.

Extraction 7/10
Extraction 2 7.5/10

I enjoy the camera work in the set-pieces; it makes you feel like you are in the thick of the action.

Red Dawn (1984) 7.5/10

Suspend your belief and it is an entertaining action film. WOLVERINES!

Asteroid City - 4.5/5

Wes Anderson does it again.

Evil Dead Rise- 9/10

This was so much god damn fun. Fantastic modern take on classic horror. I love Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darknesd, but I gravitate more towards the first film and even the remake, as I prefer a serious tone over camp. Evil Dead Rise has possibly the best balance of serious horror and silly camp of any film in the series.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - 7.5/10

Enjoyed it. Didn't need to be made, but enjoyed it.

How would you rank it against the others?

I might put it on the bottom. Need to rewatch Crystal Skull and Temple of Doom. Raiders and Crusade easily the top two.

I like the villain and "quest" in Skull better, but it has weird Shia Lebeouf stuff. I like in Temple that he is actually still young and vigorous but it does feel a bit off put together with the rest of the series.

So far, with not having seen the new one, ive ranked them in order of release with each one coming below the last.

It would probably follow that pattern for you then. I do like Crusade better than Temple for sure.... and I go back on forth in my mind whether I put Skull above Temple or not. Maybe I'll actually watch them again to try to settle it...

Anyone who puts films 4 and 5 over the original three deserves the fate of this poor sod:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7A2JZxvpRsI?start=101" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I think Skull gets a bad wrap due to magic refrigerators, and Shia Lebeouf and his monkeys. As I said, I really dug Blanchett's cartoon evil Russian villain.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - 7.5/10

About 20 min too long, but far better than Crystal Skull which has too much silliness for me. This movie has better villain, better macguffin and better set pieces.

The opening prologue is a lot of fun and the third act is a little wild but as a huge Indy fan I enjoyed it.

Creed 3 - 3/5

Couldn't get past the fact dude got a title shot in this day-in-age with 0 fights under his belt. Last fight was quite boring.

I’d give creed 3 a 3.5. It’s bolstered by Johnathan Majors and how he clicks with Michael B. But the franchise is tired and Tessa and Michael B have anti chemistry. His deaf daughter is annoying—not the little girl herself, I’m just bothered by her conceptually.

Creed 1 was really good. Creed 2 is a struggle. Creed 3 falls in between. Oddly I liked the last fight but I find all of them pretty boring for the most part so I can’t fault anyone for finding this one boring.

I saw Across The Spiderverse soaring on edibles and it was a fucking blast. I’d give it a million percent just based on the fun I had. You could argue about whether there’s an existent 3rd act but it didn’t bother me.

GOTG v.III came out today to purchase so I'm about halfway through it. Very touching!

goddamn. that hit me in the feels multiple times. fuck

Asteroid City

Easy watch, good, fun…

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Bollocks…

Watching “Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 3”.

Rocket’s backstory is fucked up. That is cold, cruel and well delivered.

Nathan Fillion is a good dude.

Captian Hammer will save us

You're a bad dog, Seanny!

Wonder Woman 1984 2/10

Wow that was something

Watching this anthology series called "Lust Stories" on Netflix. Genuinely surprised by the cast and directors involved in this clusterfuck.

“The Far Country” - 3/4

James Stewart turns up in town, annoys a nefarious, hilariously evil bad guy and spends the whole film trying to avoid his ire even if it means vulnerable townsfolk take the shit instead. He of course comes good in the end, but it’s great seeing James Stewart play borderline assholes.

“The Man From Laramie” - 3/4

James Stewart turns up in town and annoys the family that own and run it. He spends the rest of the film trying to get his own back on the bastards. The ending to this one is all over the place, but it’s a lot of formulaic fun.

“Bend Of The River” - 2.5/4

James Stewart tur… actually he’s already part of a wagon train from the start of this film and he rescues a fella who turns up in a lynching. The guy isn’t black just in case anybody gets confused by the term lynching there, the only black guy in this film is played by “The laziest man in the world” Stepin Fetchit…. Why do I feel like a really angry trap rapper is going to re-appropriate that name someday soon if not already? He’ll probably have pierced cheeks, tattoos instead of eyebrows and purple hair.
Rock Hudson makes a crack about not being “the marrying kind” in this film. I like that.


That completes the Mann/Stewart western pictures. They were as formulaic as the Randolph Scott “Ranown” cheapies were but it’s all good stuff to be honest. Every star of the Western has their own style, so it’s hard to rank them properly but very easy to point out their differences.

Randolph Scott is the most gentlemanly and oddly not the least intimidating even into his fifties.
James Stewart is the most realistic in terms of not glorifying himself with his roles. He’s downright sneaky and arguably cowardly at times.
John Wayne is the most boorish and also most intimidating, charismatic and powerful. He’s actually a very good actor in his post WW2 output, especially as his age allows him not to be presented as immortal anymore.

I’ve only got a few Peck, Widmark and a couple of Wayne films left on the list.
I even watched “The Ballad Of Lefty Brown” the other night just to see if a greenhorn like Bill Pullman could carry a Western. He did pretty well all things considered.

“The Ballad Of Lefty Brown” - 2/4

There was a lot to admire about Bill Pullman’s performance here, and it’s one which should have carried a far far better film. The script is poor and the storyline has elements which should have been stripped away so it could be a straight revenge-driven western instead of the awkward morality tale/tragedy it’s supposed to be. I think because so many modern revenge driven westerns came out around the same time(Ethan Hawke, Mads Mikkelsen and Emile Hirsch all did better films) this one tried to distinguish itself from the pack by being more desperate or even pathetic but it’s competing with films where families are murdered so it’s in need of a good whack of action and it is sorely lacking in that too.
Unless you love Bill Pullman, watch “The Sisters Brothers” instead. That’s a unique take on hunting man in the old West.

Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning 9/10

Awesome set pieces great cast, and really fun and often intense movie. Tom Cruise still the man.

It’s funny that the big stunt that’s getting all the hype while really impressive and is OMG inducing still doesn’t have the full affect that they would have wanted it to have. Basically it doesn’t come off as impressive as it should.

The movie is not as good as the McLegend dubbed “action movie masterpiece” that Fallout is.

Also Tom Cruise who is my boy did the whole “thank you for seeing the movie in the theatre message” before the movie. He looks crazy in it! He should probably stop do those messages.

Fuck Tom Cruise.

Fuck you

I used to think Tom Cruise was crap too, but then I watched a bunch of his stuff and learned to respect the effort. “Tropic Thunder” really opened my eyes before that but I think it was “The Last Samurai” that really turned the tide when I finally watched it.

Admittedly I got a bit too into it and ended up with “Cocktail” on DVD. That’s a nutty film… I used to wonder how Brian Brown could steal a broad from Tom Cruise and then I found out that Brian Brown also made a nudie massage film with Mimi Rogers too. I mean the guy’s about seventy but don’t put it past him to stick his cock in Nicole Kidman’s wine glass or use it to reprogram Katie Holmes back to fearing God.

Hahaha Wiki says he met his wife by reading her palm at a party.

Brian Brown is the real Ross Jeffries.
What a fucker…

Dersu Uzala

This movie fucking ruled... long ass... kinda slow burn... never seen anything by that "Kurosawa" guy till now

Super Mario Bros. Movie


4/10




Felt very rushed. 100% don't care for Pratt voicing Mario either. I can see how the normal Mario voice would wear out the welcome during a film.... but also see how they could make it work.


Definitely a "kids" movie. The plot was as thin as could be and just.... yeah. There was a 2 min training montage and then Mario was kinda a badass.




Lacking. Needs a sequel with better explanation // more time in the Mushroom Kingdom or something, I dunno.

It was a platforming montage sir....

I’ve liked some Tom Cruise movies. Recently watched last samurai tho and while it was good at the time it was released and looks nice, I’d argue it was a rote white saviour story (it’s been a year or so since I’ve seen it again so maybe there’s nuance Im forgetting.)

No doubt he’s been good in a lot of movies. Jerry Maguire still fucks.


But I still hate him and I’m not interested in the bulk of his movies.

Cruise sort of reminds me of HHH. You can’t argue with his skill and ability. But there’s a soulless nature to him and something to him that’s inherently dislikable.

The Flash - 3/4

I enjoyed it despite the lead actor and my stamina was rewarded with a couple of great throwback quotes from 1989’s Batman and a glimpse of what never was with a certain Superman. Nobody ruined that surprise for me, so it was pretty great seeing it even for a few seconds.

Oblivion and Edge of Tomorrow are both great Tom Cruise sci fi flicks that get no credit. Especially Oblivion. Not genre defining stuff but must watches if you're a big sci fi nerd.

Oblivion was alright, not great but not bad. Edge Of Tomorrow is actually a very good film that gets a lot of love.

Oppenheimer - 5/5

Grab the large popcorn and soda. You're gonna be there a while.

Is it a must see in the movie theatre type movie?

It's more-or-less a 3 hour documentary Chris Nolan style. If you think that's your thing, hit the theater.

If not, snag it on digital or DVD.

Interstellar 6.5/10

Good movie, but the last 15 minutes it goes all to hell.

Saw the new Mission Impossible film. Didn't live up to the hype but really enjoyed it.

Just watched a documentary called Glitch on the Rise and Fall of The HQTrivia App. Pretty good and sad.

Paris, Texas

Nice, another good one, slow burn

Can you actually hear the dialogue in Oppenheimer or is speech buried deep in the audio mix?

That will probably determine whether I bother to see it or not, as even with earphones when watching Tenet, I could barely make out what was being said.

Oppenheimer was good. Yes, you will be able to hear the dialogues @El Vaq

Elemental - 5/10


Typical Dreamworks fare here..... but rushed?? There were a lot of story elements that seemed to be absent. The story, despite the climax being reached etc. etc. just felt.... abrupt. Kinda sorta leaves room for a sequel I guess?


It's good for kids, honestly. It opens up more mature themes, like prejudice and makes it understandable to kids.

Oppenheimer

Complete shite....

Saw it in "70mm" and the theater had no god damb AC on this 95 degrees day... THEYRE TRYING TO STOP US FROMT SEEING THE MOVIE... they had my ass falling asleep in the recliner

Not y the movie sucked tho... it was like a damb wikipedia article that you had to have read to understand it. What is this trial Who are these guys Whats up with this senate confirmation... oh waaaaa waaaaa you feel bad that you were responsible for the worst thing in human history despite knowing what u were doing,,,, 3 hour ass movie... foh

It's kind of hard to take your film critiques seriously when you obsessively watch shows about sexual predators.

Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 7.5/10

I found it entertaining. Tom Cruise seldom produces a movie that is not entertaining.

I did find myself starting to wonder when it was going to end, which is not generally a good sign.

Hayley Atwell was the standout in the film. We should see more of her.

Infinity Pool- 7/10

Really interesting concept and some great performances. But I was never able to get over how utterly stupid and nonsensical the basis for the plot was. My suspension of disbelief can take a pounding, but that was a bit much, even for me. Still a fun movie though.

Yeah! He should wait til they do a Richard Feynman picture.

Suicide Squad (the 2021 one)

idk. Netlflix algorithm prolly pushing this to top of the list to build hype around Margot Robbie/Barbie movie... w/e

watched it and was thoroughly bored the entire time. I think I'm just over/done with these types of movies

That was a particularly bad film to be fair to you.
Unusually boring for a film full of effects.

If that is considered the "better" one (compared to 2016) then woof

Shit sorry I thought you meant the Will Smith one.
I actually loved that newer one, the bird I was seeing did not.

Looking back I didn’t even hate the first one at the time, it was only a second viewing that really showed me how poor it was.

Newer one is better.

Original is just dumb but rewatchable fun.

They are both ok, but the second one is more ok.

Did anyone opt to see Oppenheimer in 70mm IMAX?

Going to see it tomorrow in 70mm. One of the 6 theaters in Canada showing it in that format is right here! In Regina, Saskatchewan!

Seanny dated rdd, confirmed.

Valdez Is Coming - 3/4

Burt Lancaster playing a Mexican in his fifties on a revenge mission. Essentially it’s about a man trying to right a terrible wrong and the obstacles he must overcome in order to achieve it, but it’s filled with well written violence and the odds are so laughably insurmountable that it makes Die Hard look perfectly reasonable. I like revenge movies, every impressively physical actor should do one.

Lawman - 2.5/4

Burt Lancaster in a bloody violent Michael Winner directed western. It’s about a man who is rigidly bound by ethics and who refuses to consider morality before he fires his gun. It’s basically a less refined Valdez with the blood coming a lot cheaper and with less class. Burt Lancaster is tremendous in it and you can clearly see the top billed actors doing the hard work. Robert Ryan is somebody I have really grown to respect after watching him in so many of these films lately. He might be the poor man’s Henry Fonda at times, but he had his own style and man did he make some great movies.

The sound mixing is much better than nolans last 2 films. Its still not ideal but its mostly good.

I almost made a trip to Nashville for it but it was sold out

The Duellists 7.5/10

It is a tale about a feud between two French cavalry officers during the Napoleonic era, which lasts for 15 years, and involves five duels between them over those years. On one side you have Feroud, played by Harvey Keitel, an arrogant brute who is driven by his ego and his idea of honour. On the other side you have D'Hubert, played by Keith Carradine, both a victim of Feroud's warped inclinations and a prisoner of his own sense of honour.

It's a simple tale, but executed well by director Ridley Scott. I generally don't like American accents in period films/ tv shows, unless set in the US, but I didn't find the accents of Keitel and Carradine distracting.

Oppenheimer - 7.8/10

Was good. I think it was maybe a bit too long though. Went through periods of being boring and then periods of "I'm on the edge of my seat". Could have made something more succinct and it would have been awesome. Also feel like maybe shooting on IMAX cameras is a bit "wasted" on a movie that is mostly just talking heads. Still impressive to see, but compared to his other movies I have seen there that have action sequences in it, it makes this seem less impressive somehow.

I saw Rango and was not expecting it to be so damn good.

Rango is quality, probably the best film Gore Verbinski will ever make and I can’t believe he had much to do with it.

The Big Country - 3/4

I’m onto the tail end of my Western viewing, I saved all of the 2+ hour films for this moment.
Gregory Peck is one of, if not the actual best ever at playing straight laced guys with serious steel behind the veneer. One of my favourite films of all time is “The Million Pound Note” and it’s because Gregory Peck is relentlessly decent and upright throughout. In his western films he has the same quality and it is what separates him from contemporary Western stars. Randolph Scott and Roy Rogers always play the good guy with the heart of gold, but Peck makes it a credible enterprise by having the eloquence to deliver a phenomenal line or speech between fisticuffs and high drama.

As far as the film goes it has the most predictable love story ever put to screen besides some of the most entertaining western shenanigans. Burl Ives steals the film with a “yeah we are low class but we have morals” character that makes it an almost Shakespearean experience. The good is faultless, the bad is evil but the grey area is pure entertainment and it elevates the film from formulaic to fantastic.

It's about time you got round to The Big Country.

You sound like my mother. I watched it, I enjoyed it so you can badger me about something else now.

Did you know that the woman Gregory Peck rejects is the evil mother of the bad guy in Kindergarten Cop? Her fish eyes made me look her up, she’s an ugly broad.

Y tu mamá también was quite the film.

While it was loud and bombastic, there were moments that were simply breathtaking.

Heart of Stone - 6/10

Gal Gadot's new Netflix movie. I deem it a below average movie but not a complete waste of my time. Feel like if they went a different way with the plot it would have been a better movie.

The Talented Mr Ripley 7.5/10

I found Matt Damon's performance rather unsettling, which is a credit to him.

Saw Guy Ritchie's The Covenant. It was excellent.

Saw Dog. Good stuff.

Casino 7/10

It loses a star, as I don't find it believable that Sharon Stone would bang Joe Pesci in a million years.

I saw Werewolf by Night and it was alright. Nothing to write home about.

He’s fine with her banging James Woods but he draws the line at Pesci.
Bang a woman that looks like an old Italian American actor, El Vaq, then you can sit here complaining.

Sometimes people bone above there weight class.

Lyle Lovett, Krillin, Maggie Gyanahall

Maggie Gyllenhaal is one of the most fuckable women ever to hit the screen. She shouldn’t be, but she’s a hot piece.

Just saying.

Blue Beetle - 7/10

Was ok and inoffensive. Took no big risks and wasn't anything we haven't seen before. Feel like DC keeps trying hard to make Jaime Reyes "happen" via multiple comic book series, featuring him heavily in cartoons, and now a movie.... but he just never seems to quite catch on.

Frankie and Johnny 7/10

A romantic comedy/drama starring Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer. Pacino's character is a little bit too needy and cloying, but Pfeiffer puts in a great performance as someone who has emotionally closed themselves off after successive abusive partners. Some might say, and they did at the time, that Pfeiffer is far too beautiful to play the lonely, dowdy waitress that she portrays in this film, and to a point she is, but her performance outweighs that complaint.

Pacino and Pfeiffer also benefit from some great supporting cast, especially Kate Nelligan as their man-hungry co-worker.

I mean, she's not unattractive but she never did it for me. Hell of an actor though.