Movie Record 2023 Edition - The Bear and Badger

Gremill

Cos wrote:

What?! Even by modern Cage standards that film is trash. You’ve let yourself down there.

I went into it thinking it was the other one of his that does the apocalypse, Left Behind, which is an absolute dumpster fire of a film. I was pleasantly surprised. It's not a good film, but it's so out there that I couldn't help but like it. There are many films like these that

Spoiler:

' was just mad.

davyK

Knowing was bonkers but I kind of liked it.

davyK

Nosferatu The old silent original. One doesn't watch this to be entertained or thrilled nowadays. I consider the Werner Herzog 70s version to be a brilliant take on the story so I was interested in checking this out.

This must have been quite a thing when it first came out in the cinema. It's undermined by the ham acting of the time - silent stars overacted to convey feelings etc and it can be comical when you get some gurning etc. But it's quite sophisticated setting that aside. Worth checking out if interested from a film history point of view. BFI has quite a clean tinted print of this which has was restored about 10 years ago.

Gremill

You should now watch the one with Willem Dafoe, Shadow of the Vampire - it's well worth revisiting.

davyK

Don't think I've watched that.

Found one with Jack Palance in the role!

LivDiv

Best mental, a bit shit Cage is Next for me.
Gloriously bizarre.

LivDiv

Im so hyped for the upcoming Eggers Nosferatu.

tin_robot

Gremill wrote:

You should now watch the one with Willem Dafoe, Shadow of the Vampire - it's well worth revisiting.

Definitely worth watching if you've seen the original. The premise - that Max Shreck really is a vampire (something rumoured at the time) - is kind of genius.

Diluted Dante

I can't remember if we ever see him in direct sunlight, but the way Selina kills him suggests he was human.

RedDave2

tin_robot wrote:

Gremill wrote:

You should now watch the one with Willem Dafoe, Shadow of the Vampire - it's well worth revisiting.

Definitely worth watching if you've seen the original. The premise - that Max Shreck really is a vampire (something rumoured at the time) - is kind of genius.

Loved Shadow of the Vampire - might give it a re-watch.

davyK

Sounds good. Malkovich in it too.

nick_md

Massive spoilers for Nosferatu in here smh

davyK

justwatch says it isn't currently available via legal means.

ShabbyMcCrabby

Cos wrote:

What?! Even by modern Cage standards that film is trash. You’ve let yourself down there.

Nah I'm a fan too. Some great sequences even if the effects are a bit naff. Filmed in Melbourne too so I get to play "pick the location"

Cos

You guys are doing Cage movies all wrong. Knowing and Next are so generically poor that it could be anyone in that role. If it’s not full Cage craziness, what’s the point?

LivDiv

Crazy Cage is good shit Cage not shit good Cage.
Different genre.

Cos

Heh. I think I just about unraveled that.

ShabbyMcCrabby

I don't really dig "crazy Cage". It just feels like he's doing it because people want it. Although not in the old stuff where he was just doing his thing. I prefer it when he's trying to play it pretty straight but his acting style means it has a bit of spice to it.

The Daddy

The Equalizer 3: Denzel's old, but he's still a ruthlessly efficient vengeance machine. Fun.

Killers of the Flower Moon: Tough watch, in a good way. It's certainly not a popcorn flick, despite the big fat fuck next to me munching through a massive bucket of the stuff during the quiet bits. Worth catching at the cinema if you've time, so it can be have your total attention. Will need to watch again (probably episodically) when it hits streaming.

djchump

Expend4bles

Meh. Watched it on my phone and it looked like it was entirely green-screened and back-filled with rejected Call of Duty DLC assets. Statham putting in the work but everyone else pretty much pointless.

[Just watch the Statham v Uwais fight on YouTube instead.]

Gremill

59. Can You Ever Forgive Me
Superbly performed adaptation of Lee Israels autobiography about her failure as a writer and her turning to literary fraud to survive. Melissa McCarthy is on hilariously scabrous form as Israel, ably supported by Richard E Grant as her promiscuous, homeless, substance-abusing only friend. 8

davyK

The Fog Caught this on regular TV. I remember going to the cinema with mates from school to watch this. It's well made but there just isn't enough going on now looking at it. I remember not thinking much of it back then either. Would likely benefit from some sort of re-imagining, though it wouldn't have Adrienne Barbeau.

Was fun spotting the likes of Hal Holbrook and Tom Atkins, "that guy" from Halloween III:Season of the Witch; a guilty pleasure of mine.

Once Upon a Time In America This is a 3'40'' cut on Prime which I haven't seen before. It makes the film less opaque the way it's cut but it loses something along the way. Interesting for someone like me who is a bit of a fanboy of the film.

Hereditary Think is the 2nd rewatch. It gets better. I thought it got a bit too daft toward the end when I first saw this in the cinema but looking at it now it's well done and it's fun to spot the symbols and signs throughout.

poprock

Totally Killer
Cheap and cheerful time travel cross slasher cross ’80s nostalgia flick. Nothing special, but the lead girl is quite good.

davyK

Halloween (2018)

This just popped up on BBC3 last night so watched it. So I presume this will be on iPlayer for a while. Not half bad really. Enjoyed it. Doesn't hang around too long to get started which is a plus. Doesn't overstay its welcome either.

I've seen the two followups in the cinema and I'd rate this one above those. They were just in the "OK to watch at Halloween in the flicks" category. Halloween Kills had some interesting notes about crowds and groupthink if I remember correctly though. But this one would be worth revisiting each year around this time.

Cos

49. Barbie
Enjoyable fare, honestly wasn't sure what the actual plot was going to be but it worked pretty well. Lots of knowing jokes, even more for anyone with more than a passing knowledge I assume, but with a well delivered message at the heart. A couple of particularly poignant moments really caught me off guard and definitely identify with the existential crisis! [7]

50. Black Adam
Not sure who fucked up on this one but they fucked up bad. The Rock is absent almost any of his usual charisma and the film doesn't seem too sure about his anti-hero status. I actually thought the best thing in it was the Justice Society, Brosnan in particular was on great form. A few good supporting characters and set pieces save it from being completely flat but barely. [4]

51. Rye Lane
Might be a disservice to describe this as a rom-com pretty much what it is. The would be couple hang out after a slightly awkward meeting and a series of encounters and situations arise throughout the day, bringing them closer together. The scenarios are thankfully not too outlandish and there are plenty of genuine laughs and heartfelt moments. It does creep up the daft scale a bit towards the end maybe but manages to stick the landing. All set and filmed across Peckham and Brixton too so was a nice bonus to see a London set film that didn't rely on the usual landmarks. The lead couple have great chemistry and sincere performances keep it light and fun. [7]

52. The Lost King
Comedy drama based on the finding of Richard III's remains in that car park. It's a great cast but sadly mostly wasted as this is a pretty woeful effort. It skips along a bit too quickly and spends too much time setting up 'villains' of the piece. Not very funny or well written in general, overstayed it's welcome even with a sub 2 hour run time. Skip it. [3]

53. Lost Bullet 2
Having enjoyed the first one, found this to be a bit of a let down. The fight choreography and most of the action sequences were still quality but felt like they had an interesting story that just didn't get enough attention, almost like they were unsure how serious the tone should get. Seems to set up a third so I'll still be in if that's the case but hopefully a bit less Mario Kart with the car stunts. [5]

Cos

54. The Two Popes
Hopkins and Pryce playing off each other beautifully in what is essentially a series of conversations in different locations. There's a little bit of background and colour to events to give it context but then it's over to the two leads and they carry the film without issue. [8]

55. Licorice Pizza
Not entirely sure how to summarise impressions of this - the lack of plot isn't really an issue, the free form feel of it seems inherent to the film and characters. I think I was dipping in and out in terms of focus, definitely a few duff scenes interspersed but still that PTA quality comes through overall. Interesting but messy, glad to have seen it though. [6]

56. A Good Person
Florence Pugh in great form in an otherwise pretty average film with Morgan Freeman phoning in his performance on a bad line. Fighting a battle on two fronts, to overcome addiction and face the consequences of her own actions, Pugh continues a run of being excellent in pretty much everything she's in. The film maybe tries to be a bit too worthy at points, supporting characters are mostly sketches and plot devices but there's enough at the core to hold attention. [5]

davyK

Killers of the Flower Moon Handsome expansive telling of a true tale with De Niro and Leo playing a blinder but with superb support and character roles from the likes of Jesse Plemons who gets better every time I see him in something.

Over 3 and a half hours but I didn't feel it. Watched on a MAX cinema screen. It doesn't really need it but some splendid landscape and town/street scenes really benefit from it.

Cos

57. Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves
Thankfully didn't make the mistake of the 00s film and take itself too seriously, a good old fun romp of an adventure. Some predictable plot points and a slightly anti-climactic ending but plenty of inventiveness, great characters and hearty lols kept it entertaining. Everyone on good form and seemingly enjoying it, and some great cameos. Lovely stuff. [8]

58. The Red Turtle
I loved the art style and it's impressive how the characters journey and emotions were conveyed given the sparse nature of the environments and dialogue. I thought it was a bit too ponderous at times and not sure I could give it a strong recommendation overall but there are some fantastic elements throughout. [6]

59. The Devil All the Time
Thriller set in rural America between late 40s and 60s following several characters across two key towns. A few too many disparate threads in this, some interesting but too much time divided for me until the inevitable point where they converge. A few good performances help maintain interest but smacks a bit of trying too hard with the variety of nefarious characters. [4]

60. Dumb Money
Not quite 'The Big Short' for meme lords but there's elements borrowed from that and no doubt there's an interesting story at the heart of this one too, albeit on a smaller scale with the GameStop stock episode. Dano is excellent in the lead and thankfully is the centre of the film, good support in most areas except Pete Davidson being his annoying self again. Cutting between Dano and his followers works well to help capture the viral nature of his investing and there's plenty of details I was completely unaware of so there was still tension despite knowing the eventual outcome. Well worth a watch. [7]

Raiziel

Cos wrote:

58. The Red Turtle
I loved the art style and it's impressive how the characters journey and emotions were conveyed given the sparse nature of the environments and dialogue. I thought it was a bit too ponderous at times and not sure I could give it a strong recommendation overall but there are some fantastic elements throughout. [6]

I loved this film. The score is an all-timer.

b0r1s

Yep that Dungeons & Dragons was good fun and deserves, after a few years, an equally silly fun sequel.

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories