Name & Rate the Movies/TV You've Watched.

[TwoMisfits]

Another day with no decision, so another movie (with JGL in supporting, not a lead)...

 

So, since my spouse and I are dual-vets, we actually celebrate ourselves one day a year - on Veteran's Day.  So, while everyone else is focused on other things this week, I usually spend the time after election day turning my attention to that day and watching a few military movies (usually rewatches, but it's 2020, and I'm ready to change things up).

 

Anyway, if you couldn't guess, this means I watched Stop-Loss today.  I figure it's another movie that was worth watching now vs when it was made (I didn't watch it then b/c it was too fresh).  And it fits my JGL deep dive. 

 

So, here's the thing.  There are very few movies I can dislike, but appreciate, but this is one.  

 

The leads are not well-cast - Phillipe and Tatum miss or overact the beats needed, especially in the 3rd act.  The supporting are much better - Victor Rasuk was particularly on point.  And I did love JGL's moments, but they were in the wrong movie and at the wrong time, breaking a plot progression like a tv show would...but this is a movie.  And the movie really isn't a stop-loss, but more wartime PTSD...and I gotta give American Sniper credit for doing that much better.  And of course, its realism is non-existent, but that never bothers me in a movie unless the movie itself plays fast and loose with its world construct, which this one flirts with, but stays enough in...

 

Okay, that's a lot of criticism, but it does have some things that work.  So, for a grade, what do you give the kid that's trying but mostly failing?  I guess a C+/C? 

 

It's free on Prime, so it's no loss if you hate it:)... 

[TwoMisfits]

So, it's been a few days, but I watched another movie...and finally caught a total dud.

 

I mean, put a movie with Natalie Portman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in prominent roles, and with a 7.0 rating for Amazon reviews (and middle of the road Rotten Tomatoes reviews), and you think, "not usually my kinda movie, but it can't be that bad..."  Well, it can be that bad and more...

 

What movie...a 2010 movie called Hesher.  Now, I admit, I watched this movie sober, so that might have been problem #1.  And I will also admit, the actors did as much with the material as they could, b/c they are good actors.

 

But, oh, the storyline...and the connections...and and the sensibility of anything...I have not seen something so stupidly written in months.  With about 20 minutes left in the movie, I sat there thinking that the writer had grabbed a Mad Lib book, flipped open to the "Mom dies" fill-in, and just went to town, throwing in all the random things that a Mad Lib would be.  Maybe I didn't get it.  Maybe I'm not supposed to get it.  But, I think I lost 10 IQ points watching it:)...

 

I guess for a grade, it gets a D b/c the acting was its saving grace...but don't watch it...or do, and now enjoy the insanity to come:)...

 

PS - On a side note, even if the story had ever come together, the movie needed a rethink in character ages from the get go.  It was too strange with JGL, the bully, and our sympathetic victim all walking through the same school - one looks/is/acts 10 and hasn't hit any puberty, one is 16-18 and driving cars, and one is in his mid-20s.  This can't work, even before you make the movie, unless you're a genius...and the writers were not geniuses...

[Webslinger]

I re-watched American Graffiti a couple times this week - once in preparation to show it to a class, and then the actual showing to said class. I must say that as much as I enjoyed it when I first saw it in 2014, I seriously underrated it at that time. It's a great teen comedy where virtually every single scene sings and each of the four main characters really pops in their own unique way. As much as I love Star Wars, these re-watches really left me wishing I could glance into the alternate universe where George Lucas did more small, character-driven films like this one.

[lorddemaxus]

Last two weeks

 

Movies:

 

Blithe Spirit (1946) - 6/10

A Perfect World -  Another tragic and heartbreaking Eastwood film about the failings of American institutions (more specifically the criminal justice system here) and how violence only causes suffering and death. 9/10

Minari - Mostly effective but the digital cinematography really robbed a lot of the authencity here imo. I enjoyed it but it's no different to any of the other observational family dramas I've seen. 6/10

Jaws - An incredibly simple but compelling blockbuster that perfectly meshes horror, adventure, and hilariously relevant politics. 10/10

Good Morning - 7/10

Lincoln - 7/10

Nathan For You: Finding Frances - It is the most ambitious and interesting finale I've seen in a comedy show. Saw someone say that it's spiritually close to an Abbas Kiarostami film and I have to agree. Fielder does an absolutely brilliant job at blurring the lines between fiction and reality. 9/10

Citizen Kane -  I knew the craft in this movie was very influential but I didn't expect how it still stands out today. There are so many long and immaculate shots and creative edits in this that I feel like are on a completely different level compared to even most films today. 9/10

Over the Moon - 4/10

The Witches (2020) - 6/10

The Sugarland Express - 8/10

How Green Was My Valley - A really sincere and sentimental film about the life of the working-class (not just about their hardships, but their communal strength, their love, and their persistence). Very few films have made me tear up just from simple shot movements, music cues, and human gestures. 10/10

 

TV Shows:

Nathan For You - Binge watched it all in a week and I loved it so much. The awkward comedy always works and each episode feels unique eventhough they all have the same concept. The finale (which I'm gonna consider a movie), as I said above, is also just brilliant.

 

Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 2 and 3 - Episode 2 was a bit weak but Episode 3 was fun. The frog lady has been favourite character of this season so far. Bryce Dallas Howard, just like her dad, has created some of the worst lit stuff in this franchise though.

 

His Dark Materials Season 1- Tried giving the show another shot and although still clunky, I managed watch the entire thing over the past two days. Actually quite fun show once you get past the first couple episode. Hopefully Season 2 is better since Jack Thorne isn't the sole writer for it and HBO is co-producing it (they only distributed season 1).

[TMP]

Finally saw Free Solo after my friends have been hounding me to see it for ages and absolutely adored it. Would have been easy top 5 of 2018 if I saw it when it opened. Now I really miss going rock-climbing, lol

[TwoMisfits]

So, during the BOT board shutdown, I took a break from JGL movies and watched another movie Netflix recommended to me, I was always planning to watch, and which fit with my 2000-2020 "somehow skipped" movie viewing...and I watched Moneyball:).

 

So, I like baseball...and it's a good movie.  But, it's not a great movie.  Part of that is probably b/c they can only work with the story they have...well, unless they wanted to Hollywoodize it severely.  So, the movie kinda just fades out vs going out with a bang.

 

As for the acting, I think Pitt did a very good job.  I think Jonah was miscast or just didn't quite nail his role (yes, I know about the nomination, and maybe that colors my view, although maybe it was just a really bad year for supporting:)...personally, I just didn't feel like he was the guy that people would have thrown careers away on (2 of them) if he was wrong.  He had the geeking out part mostly down, but not the arrogant underlying confidence or the just amazing "smartest guy in the room" that you'd think the Ivy League book-writing guy that wanted to revolutionize the game would have (early in the movie shrinking wallflower just didn't work if the biggest folks are gonna listen to you).  Maybe that's my own preconceived notions, but well, movie goers and sports fans bring those in to a true story...

 

As for a grade, I'd give a solid B.  It was low stakes, it was semi-predictable even as it petered out (b/c if you know baseball, you kinda knew what would happen, and they didn't really stray much), but it was good.  And there's a place for good movies (yeah, I know it was also a best pic nom...but can we go back to "weak year":).

[charlie Jatinder]

Over 4 Weeks

 

Movies

1. Rope: I was introduced to film by a You Tuber who did a piece on one shot films. The premise intrigued me. It Kept me tied throughout the film, a bit loose in the end though. 7/10.
2. Black: Was a kid when it released, it always looked a bit intriguing to me, but wasn't all that great. 5/10.
3. Laxmii: Few laughs work but not my cup of tea. 2/10.
4. Ludo: The better of the Bollywood films dumped on OTT. Take its time to get settle tho. 6/10.
5. Super Singh: This is a local superhero film, I watched it for a fake Spider-man cameo. Wish I hadn't. 1/10.

TV

1. The Mandalorian: This is the best I am watching in last few weeks. Unlike the first season, the middle of season isn't that low. The first episode was best for me followed by a quite good third. Baby Yoda is used as well as they could have done. With 4th episode looking like first genuine big step in story, lets see how it goes. 8/10.

[TwoMisfits]

And finally got around to the big JGL movie I missed - Looper:).

 

Rian Johnson should thank JGL, Emily Blunt, and Pierce Gagnon every day for selling the material so well that you accept it, glaring plot holes and all.  Even the abrupt ending and the abrupt character transformation of our lead - you just accept it b/c they captured the roles so well and they sold it (some actors elevate the material, some actors need the material to elevate them - this cast is definitely the former:).  I didn't love the other cast quite as much, although they all gave adequate to very good performances:)...

 

So, as long as you don't think about the glaring plot holes...which to be honest, almost all time travel movies have, you can say - dang, that was a really good movie.  A B+, and a great 2 hours of fun.

 

I think I've now hit all the "big" missed JGL movies, although I've still got 50/50 and a few others on my list (and a rewatch of Inception and the Dark Knight Rises, b/c why not watch 2 very good movies?).  But, like watching Moneyball, now I'm gonna try to fit in all the other "big missed" works of 2000ish-2020...parenting tends to take away that time where you swear you'd watch all these things...and then even with the DVDs on the shelf, you don't...but a new closure of entertainment and a long winter, well, I'm planning to make the time:)...  

[Jonan23]

Been super busy this past month but was able to watch stuff here and there

 

Holidate - Hated it - 2/10

Trial of the Chicago 7 - Highly entertaining throughout with great performances - 8/10

Hubie Halloween - I surprisingly found it quite funny and enjoyable - 6/10

Enola Holmes - Enjoyable mid level blockbuster. Millie Bobby Brown is great - 7/10

TV

The Queen's Gambit - I loved every moment and Anya Tayloy Joy is mesmerizingly awesome. Great whether you know chess or not - 9/10

Dash % Lily - Really well done feel good romantic series which is just what some of us need right now 8/10

Raised By Wolves - Excellent world and robots. I felt the last few eps focused too much on plot rather than the robot children dynamic but still good and looking forward to next season 7/10

The Boys Season 2 - Still good 7.5/10

[Inceptionzq]

I’m very late to the party, but I watched Room for the first time. 10/10. Don’t think I’ve ever cried that much during a movie. I was not prepared for that lol. I came across one of Brie Larson’s YouTube videos and decided to watch it. So glad I did.

[Plain Old Tele]

17 hours ago, Inceptionzq said:

I’m very late to the party, but I watched Room for the first time. 10/10. Don’t think I’ve ever cried that much during a movie. I was not prepared for that lol. I came across one of Brie Larson’s YouTube videos and decided to watch it. So glad I did.

It’s a really fantastic movie. 

[lorddemaxus]

Movies:

 

The New Mutants - 3/10

Empire of the Sun - 8/10

Mangrove - McQueen manages to capture the powerlessness of being trapped and oppressed by the system at every turn unlike any other courtroom drama I've seen. Best film of the year. 9/10

Ocean's Thirteen - 8/10

Out of Sight - 8/10

Beetlejuice - 8/10

Happy Gilmore - 7/10

Notting Hill - 6/10

The Adventures of Tintin (rewatch) - This was the film that introduced me to Spielberg all the way back when it released in cinemas (I had seen his other films before, but this was the first time I knew who he was) and it's just as fantastic as I remember. There's this level of energy and momentum to this film to it that's missing from virtually every other Hollywood blockbuster released this decade. 9/10

Run - 6/10

After Hours - 7/10

The BFG - Contains some of the best fart jokes of all time. 6/10

Resident Evil (rewatch) - A pretty fun time. Still have no clue how some local kids channel aired (which is how I first saw it) this about a decade ago. 6/10

Gangs of New York - Daniel Day Lewis throwing a knife at himself was hilarios. 7/10

Always - 6/10

 

TV shows:

 

Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 4 - Some fun "pew pew"-ing I guess but someone's gotta replace whoever is shooting the action scenes for this show. This show has some of the most terrible shot and edited action of all of Star Wars.

 

His Dark Materials Season 2 Episode 1 - Honestly, don't even remember much of this episode. Enjoyed how over-the-top the witch stuff in this is though.

[Eric Duncan]

Out of sole curiosity, my friend and I watched Battlefield Earth on Amazon. And um....wow.

[YM!]

Animaniacs 2020 - Totally Insaney but not as zany to the max - 8/10

[TwoMisfits]

So, in honor of Thanksgiving, the kids and I watched Free Birds for the 1st time before I proceeded into Thanksgiving prep.

 

Ummm...so I'm torn.  It's a terrible movie...but it's so terrible, it's frequently funny.  The product placement had to be the most over-the-top product placement I've ever seen in the movie.  The ending is so bad, it's almost good...and it's almost so 2020 Thanksgiving dinner recommendation, it hurts.  It bogs down, even though it's only 90 minutes-ish.  It makes no sense.  

 

But, you can watch it free on Hulu.  And it gives "a" take on the holiday, one which my kids were, like, "Mom this seems almost offensive, how did Hollywood greenlight this?" and the girl teens, "Mom, 4 stoners had to have written this movie"...

 

The youngest WAS frequently laughing, even though he also accepted its badness.

 

I think we all put grades around C+ to D+...it helps that it's like the only Thanksgiving movie that really goes for the holiday in "its" way...

Edited November 25, 2020 by TwoMisfits

[Cap]

I have recently started Doctor Who "from the beginning" (aka NuWho) on HBO MAX.  I had watched most series as it aired basically until mid Capaldi/Peak Moffat Up His Own Ass Bullshit had me drop it.  I watched a couple of Thirteen, but never finished.  It's fun cause I remember the broad stroke of things, but not a lot of the details. 

• NINE.  In one word: Fantastic.  Christopher Eccleston is criminally underrated, and its such, such, such, a shame that due to some BTS nonsense he only did one Series.  Highlight: Empty Child/The Doctor Dances.  I could watch Nine/Rose/Jack for DAAAAYS.  
• TEN/ROSE. Great episodes from a writing POV.  Solid, full concepts.  Highlights: Tooth & Claw.  NGL, I was ready for her to move on by the end of it. Sexy!Doctor got old quick, and they were a little too swarmy/up each other's own ass a the end of things.  I am mostly here for the Mickey Redemption Arc.  And Harriet Jones, PM ("We Know Who You Are!")
• TEN/MARTHA. It's just such a god damn shame.  The Doctor is so mean to Martha.  I hate it.  That two-parter where he's human and she's stuck as the servant is torture.  It's not all bad though, cause Martha, despite the Doctor being a DICK, is Brilliant.  Her and Jack bonding over the Doctor being a dick... :chef'skiss:  Highlights: The Shakespeare Code, Blink

I JUST started Ten/Donna, and I AM SO READY.  God, I hope it's a good as I remember.

 

But, don't tell.  As River Song would say, "Spoilers."

 

[lorddemaxus]

Movies:

 

Lover's Rock - A lot to enjoy and appreciate and it's lovely to look at but kinda left me cold. Maybe something I'll probably relate to more when I'm older. 7/10

Resident Evil Apocalypse - Contains some terrible action but I enjoyed this. Goofy-ass Nemesis was hilarious. 6/10

Resident Evil Extinction - Literally Resident Evil: Mad Max edition. 6/10

Amistad - 8/10

Happiest Season - Harper is the worst. 5/10

Resident Evil: Afterlife (rewatch) - Easily the best of the franchise imo. A fast and lean action film that contains some of the best action in the franchise. The shower sequence might be one of the hottest action scenes of all time. Sucks that this is the only time we get Chris though. 8/10

The Color Purple - There are very few Spielberg films that feel as lived in as this does. Loved almost every minute of this film. 9/10

Resident Evil: Retribution - Conceptually ambitious film but I feel like there was more to be desired here regarding Alice's "daughter" (who never gets mentioned in the final film either). Some really kick-ass action sequences too. 7/10

Resident Evil: Final Chapter - The most thematically and emotionally resonant film. The final scene actually got to me. Too bad about the action though. 7/10

Hillbilly Elegy - 4/10

ET The Extra Terrestrial (rewatch) - First time watching this in over 10 years and I completely forgot that (pretty sure literally everyone has seen this film, but spoilers) ET dies in this lmao. Don't think there's any other film that's captured childlike wonder like this film has. 10/10

Following - You can see some of Nolan's trademark techniques here, but really boring film. 5/10

Duel - Spielberg at his most deranged. 7/10

Let Him Go - Neat Eastwood-lite flick. Lesley Manville goes full pulp mode here and it's great. 7/10

Memento (rewatch) - For a film I consider Nolan's best, there's a lot in this film I forgot. Practically felt like watching this for the first time (espescially since I forgot the reveal at the end). Nolan's most tragic and emotionally charged film. 10/10

Insomnia - Much more compelling than I thought. It's definitely Nolan's most conventional film, but I loved the incorporation of Pacino's character being a shitty cop who is under investigation for wrongfully convicting criminals. Wish there was more of Robin Williams in it though. 7/10

[TwoMisfits]

4 hours ago, lorddemaxus said:

 

Memento (rewatch) - For a film I consider Nolan's best, there's a lot in this film I forgot. Practically felt like watching this for the first time (espescially since I forgot the reveal at the end). Nolan's most tragic and emotionally charged film. 10/10

 

 

Spectacular take - and I agree with it 100%:).

[EarlyDeadlinePredictions]

Movies

 

Equalizer 2 - 7/10. Pretty decent action movie. Denzel is still badass. 

 

Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse - 10/10. Rewatched this on Netflix and its still a masterpiece. The animation style, music and cast are all wonderful. 

 

Video-Games

 

Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS4) - 8/10. The main campaign is pretty short and some of the developments towards the end are rushed but I found the story and characters to be great. Miles swinging and combat gameplay is actually more fun than Peters from the 2018 game. The Venom powers are a blast to use. 

 

[Maggie]

I watched Halloween 2018. Terrible movie. Can't understand how it's rated so highly on RT. It's a typical, full of cliches slasher. 5/10

Edited December 1, 2020 by Maggie