If you haven’t seen “Shin Godzilla” give it a go, original audio though.

It’s Godzilla with bureaucrats.

"Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story"

funny,,, love "steve coogan"

need a Briton to tell me how well known this story is though... "tristram shandy"... had never heard of the words

Good movie I did watch while forums were down was "American Fiction" - 8.5/10

It’s one of those books that you hear about but likely never actually read, in fact if you asked 100 people if they had ever heard of it you’d maybe get three that had.

The Three Musketeers: Milady 6.5/10

I liked it, but the film ends on a cliff-hanger that is unlikely to be resolved by a third film, which is why I've deducted half or a full point from my score.

Boy Kills World - 7/10

Solid revnege flick. Good sense of humor. Never bad action. Sometimes very good action but mostly standard. Surprisingly good story if youre willing to look deeper than the surface.

Thanksgiving - 2.5/4

So many bad accents. The lead has a great rack though.

Arcadian - 2/4

The monsters are weird lookin’ and there are no babes but Nicolas Cage was pretty decent.

The Price We Pay - 2.5/4

Unsurprisingly this is a very poor film but Emile Hirsch is in it pretending to be a tough guy so it’s pretty fun.

in america even less so... we watched it for "movies club" and all had never heard of it but agreed we wanted to read it

Civil War - 4/5

Six String Samurai - real product of gen x here, a little funny

Matrix 4 - 3/10

Terrible film. The action is completely generic. Not a frame is worth your time. The retcons to the lore are a joke but to be fair youve always been better off just watching the 1st film and stopping there and that isnt going to change now.

The plot is at odds with itself. The 1st acts "subtext" (and fuck do i use that loosely) is about itself and why it shouldnt exist and its ALMOST an interesting allegory about modern film and vacuum of new ideas using nostalgia as a plot device. It almost works even if what makes it work is the film overtly saying "this is shit and it shouldnt exist and id rather be the architectof its bastardization that watch someone esle do it." Going as far to call out it own studio by name. And it almost works. It doesnt, but almost.

By the time we're in the 2nd act all of that is gone and forgotten and the film shifts gears in tearing down its protagonist until Neo is completely impotent. Which would be fine except the 3rd act doesnt have him restored to his glory but instead leaves him weak and in shambles because Trinity is The One now while giving mouth service that its them together that is The One (lol) but not actually allowing them both to share in the visual glory of that claim. Because that claim is a lie and she is The One now.

Everything that happens in the real world is dull as ever but now its also stupid with machines acting like floating puppies because.. who fucking knows. Theyre cute now. Isnt that great? Hooray. The 2nd act is 90% this and its ass. Jada Smith gives the most flat performance of her career and boy is that a record we didnt need broken.

All the new "characters" are just scarecrows. And visually the aesthetic of the wardrobes makes me long for the originals shiny black latex in a way i would have rejected as impossible.

And the new agents are literally just zombies and visually the 3rd act fight against them is laid out like an episode of the walking dead. Its the 3rd or 4th complete tonal shift where you feel like by the time credits roll youve watched 35 min episodes of 4 different shows. Its disjointed and bizarre.

Its not full of technical errors. Its shot like a professional would put together a film. And thats the only reason i wouldnt rate it lower.

I never saw Matrix 4. There was no need for it.

The first film is a classic, and I'll watch it any time. The original sequels were blah; just overblown fight sequences that became tiresome after a few minutes.

But, see, the fourth one pointed out how unnecessary it was in a meta way inside the movie... so it has to be brilliant!

Like i said...that almost work. It doesnt. But almost

I did chuckle that the meta narrative was the matrix trilogy was a classic. If they were going to be honest it shouldve been the first game was a classic the the rest of the trilogy was serviceable at best

“The Matrix Resurrections” the film about the film brought to you by the women who used to be the men who ripped the concept from a comic book in the first place.

Retconned by the retconned.

It’s just a shame that neither of them is called Rhett.

Anyone else seen “Sasquatch Sundown” yet?

Surprisingly watchable, surprisingly sad.

I had no idea who was playing who.

It was very entertaining even if the Bob’s Burgers voice was a crazy choice.

I felt it lost it’s way after act two, precisely when the part you spoilered really begins.

What has Famke Janssen done to herself… I know she has had that face for a few years now but dolling her up like that in the film is leaning in in a way that only Mickey Rourke could relate to.

Anatomy of a Fall (2023) - 9/10

Its a film you cant really speak on because everything is a spoiler. Its a court drama that is actively ambiguous and challanges the nature of assumption itself and never at any point shows its hand and never gives the audience answers.

This is deliberate because the film isnt about what happened. Its about how we struggle with what we dont know and how we add to our unknowing until we can have a reality we can live with.

It centers around a death that occurs off camera, a fall, and the court case to decide if it was an accident or murder.

What it does do is deliver the strongest acting performances of last year inside a smart and intriguing script.

I think Past Lives was the best picture of 2023 and this doesnt change that but its easily no2.

Brats 5/10

I watched this documentary on the 'Brat Pack,' and how this label impacted upon the lives/careers of those that lumped into this group. It's made by Andrew McCarthy, one of the 'brats.'

For the most part, it just felt like a therapeutic outlet for McCarthy. Even though he interviews Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Rob Lowe, and others; it always seemed to be about McCarthy. I think it's partly down to McCarthy just not being a very good interviewer, from the few interview segments that we see.

John Wick (2014) - 7/10 has a lot going for it. Where it excells the most is in the world building. The characters already have a history. Its a lived in place with a rich baskstory and mythology and the best part is we dont get to know the details. Its implied. That makes for a good watch.

Thats easily the best thing the script offers. After that its a standard Gentleman Theif set up but in an assasin setting. Which im all for mind you. We take the Gentleman Theif and plop us into a world of Gentleman Thieves and top it off with our Hero being a hero in the Greek sense. Wick is without flaw. Never errs. But this is my first gripe. I like a greek hero. But Wick is only one until plot contrivances demand he isnt.

He never misses a shot. Until the plot needs him to. It makes these moments almost feel absurd. He's been completely perfect for 90 min but now he misses the one time we care if he hits or not. Doesnt ruin the picture but it is lazy writing.

As far as the action itself good action, or atleast action done well, demands expert cinematography. Im a cinematography fanatic so i always enjoy the chance to see good action. Wick is a mixed bag. Some of it is outstanding. Well framed well considered shots. Limited edits allowed the audience to understand space. The Gun-Fu specifically is fairly good.

However Wick does something that on paper is super interesting. it melds Gun-Fu with grappling. Gun-Jitsu if you will.This is where it falters. Its interesting and cool but since there's no way principle cast can do these things in 1 wide take itts filled with constant edits at every contact point so we can hide the stunt team.

This keeps the action from every being exceptional. And i think thats my primary take on the film.

Just south of exceptional.

Which still lands it in "quite good." It has tons of interesting ideas, especially in the minutia of the action but the execution juuuuuuust misses...like Wick missing a central character when the plot demands.

The second one is the best in the series

I watched the 2nd one. The action was much improved. Wider and longer shots. Plot was solid but weaker. There's a novelty about a man seeking vengeance for his dog



Still 7/10


But it was better than the 1st

I went in blind when I saw the first one, just hit the theatre on a random Tuesday (cheap night) and looked at what was available. Hadn't seen any trailers or anything for it so had no idea what to expect. Movie blew me away, it was so much fun.

2nd was good, by the time the 3rd and 4th movies came out they were getting a bit high on their own farts, but still cool action scenes

Something in the Air: 7/10


French film. Coming of age story using revolutionaries in their own minds in the 60s to illustrate the naivety of youth. I really enjoy this. Id go more into but im worried the forum will die before i hit post

Destor how did you feel about the inciting incident in John Wick? I remember you saying you wouldn’t watch it if a dog got hurt but that may have been years ago.

No Country for Old Men - 7.5/10

Gave it 8 out of 10 on the other boards but have decided to knock it another half point. Was a masterpiece of suspense and tension until suddenly it wasn't and the climax they were building to never comes. Probably supposed to be something "poignant" about the "senslessness" of violence or whatever.

@Seanny

Most is off camera so its not abrasive. Beyond that the film is fairly upfront about the dog being an emotional facsimile for the wife. Wick isnt shown to particularly care about the dog as such. The film doesnt try to emotionally manipulate the audience into grieving for the dog like Marley and Me for example.

Had it been this long time companion that he was bonded with and Wick went ona murderous rampage of cathartic grief in the name of the nameless dead dog...it would have been a rough watch. But as it is the dog is a prop. So its fairly ineffective as a plot device but it isnt designed to be either. The dog is the wife. Thats the emotional hook. And it makes it go down pretty easy.

Tarantino had a similar take to yours but I'll counter by saying if there's a big climax as you anticipate then there *is* fundamentally country for old men.

The Badlands (1973) 6/10

Interesting watching this now. Scott was clearly heavily inspired by this when he made True Romance even repurposing some of the score.

Very solid film. Its primarily carried by Sheen's raw charisma.

I think what wouldve put it over the top for me is if it captured some of the more horrific acts from the killing spree that inspired this film. From clubbing babies to death to failed rape attempts.

What we get instead is almost a folk hero version of a senseless killing spree. Doesnt make it not compelling. Its how it felt to them not how it was. But i think you couldve juxtaposed those realities for a more interesting film.

John Wick 3 (2019) - 6/10


Action was pretty good but the growing cgi use hold it back. The story heaviest of the 3 films. I liked it.

Longlegs - Terrific cinematography and the acting was great. Creepy but I wouldn't say scary. Narrative issues here and there for me. 7.8/10

The more I think about it the more plotholes I am coming up with...

Hundreds of Beavers - 8/10

Like watching a close to two hour live action Looney Tunes cartoon

Twisters - 8/10

Just got back from it... didn't really want to see it, and my expectations were low.... but ended up really enjoying it. Real decent flick.

La Samouraï (1967) - 9/10


Watch it. Its great

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - 7.5/10

Was entertaining, and I loved the use of practical effects. I wish the various plotlines/stories would have "converged" more than they did.

The Count of Monte Cristo (2024) 7/10

A French adaptation from the same team that produced the recent Three Musketeers films with Vincent Cassel and Eva Green.

A serviceable, good-looking adaptation. However, I feel the story deserves a series rather than being crammed into a 3-hour film.

They are re-releasing The Mummy (1999) for its 25th anniversary this weekend, so I'll be going to see that this Saturday. I've always enjoyed that film.

The 2002 adaptation of “The Count Of Monte Cristo” is great.