Rate the last movie you've seen

[bassman]

Not my own, but Cinemassacre and the angry video game nerd recently released this review of Ernest Goes To Jail. Agree with pretty much everything they say and it made me pop in the dvd immediately after the review wrapped. As they discuss, Jim Varney was truly great at his craft, even if it were for silly things like Ernest. Baby Driver I’m guessing this is probably my fourth or fifth viewing and I’ve noticed that I’m enjoying it more and more every time. As usual with Wright’s work, there’s quite a bit to unpack, so repeated viewings hold up well. I highly admire the sound design and how Wright was able to structure the whole thing around Baby’s IPod. To get the proper effect, this film MUST be seen with a high quality sound system. Big fan of Wright and can’t wait to see what he does next!

[beat_truck]

I've always liked Jim Varney's "Ernest" movies. Ernest Saves Christmas, Ernest Rides Again, and Ernest Scared Stupid are my favorites. I last watched: Rabid (1977) 6.5/10 Not bad. Kind of a zombie-esque outbreak movie. Dead - Alive aka Braindead (1992) 5.5/10 I hadn't seen this since I was a kid. I remembered it being over the top and kind of goofy. My memory was correct.

[bassman]

Yeah, I’ve always liked the Ernest movies too. Particularly the first handful of theatrical films. Camp, Jail, Saves Christmas, and Scared Stupid. There are many others of course, but the quality is a bit lower. Even the worst ones were salvaged by Varney’s talent. It’s a damn shame that he didn’t get much of the recognition he deserved. That video review I posted really warmed my heart to see other people appreciate it the way I do! The Ernest films were MINE when I was younger because hardly anyone else even knew them. The Dirt (Motley Crue Netflix film) Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of Crue outside of their usual radio singles and wild reputations, so I have no idea how faithful it is. I enjoyed it, but nothing to really write home about. Because they were released close together, they’ll be compared, so I’d say it’s probably on par with Bohemian Rhapsody. But of course it goes much more in-depth with the parties, addictions, and troubles. For being “free” on Netflix, I don’t think you can go wrong with it.

[MinionZombie]

I think I've only ever seen Ernest Goes To Camp, or at least that's the only one I remember from childhood. I do remember really enjoying it. The toilet catapult really captured my imagination. Snowden It's a little dry at times, and Joseph Gordon Levitt does a solid job of portraying the man (although the tone of the voice is perhaps leaned into a little bit too much at times, even if it does sound convincing). It certainly doesn't paint a pretty picture of the likes of the NSA and CIA and data gathering! I'm not particularly well read on all the nitty gritty details of it, but I did watch the documentary and such. Naturally, being an Oliver Stone movie, I'll add a pinch of salt into proceedings. However, it kept my attention and it did a solid job of painting his side of the whole thing. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom I enjoyed it for the duration, although the Honest Trailer for it does flag up how idiotic this movie is. That whole "they're alive, like me" reasoning was feckin' bullshit. Well done, kid, now every single person who dies is all on you. There was a good comment beneath that HT video, too: why not just open the door but keep the cages locked in order to ventilate the gas? Then you could have properly shipped the dinos to that intended island!!! The franchise has gone on beyond it's value, really ... not monetarily, evidently, but in terms of creative juice it's just repeating elements that were there in the first couple of movies (and which have been retread over and over again). Tag Based on the true story of a group of friends who played a game of tag for 30 years. It's quite good fun, better than I expected, and it generally avoids the pitfalls of most current American comedies in terms of its style. Not brilliant by any means, but it did have me laughing a good few times. Mandy Very stylish, but good lord is it sloooooooow. The movie would be half as long if it wasn't for all the slow mo. Kinda feels like it's trying to appear more profound than it actually is, but the sheer style of it is very impressive and it does manage to lay down a good sense of creepiness. Prepare to put in some graft to get to the end, however I'm glad I've watched it ... but am I likely to watch it again? Hmmm...

[bassman]

Sleepy Hollow This flick is now twenty years old, so it’s probably been about that long since I last watched it. Holy shite, I’d forgotten what kind of film this is! For some reason I’d just considered it a normal PG13 Tim Burton film, but it’s actually a straight-up R-rated horror flick! Burton’s style works very well for the story, the tension is great, phenomenal score, and amazing cast. I thoroughly enjoyed this viewing, which was almost like discovering it for the first time. Great film! If anyone is interested, it was Screen Junkies’ Honest Trailer for Tim Burton’s filmography that gave me the idea to revisit the film. The Honest Trailer is amusing, even bringing up some great points I’d never considered, but the commentary video for the trailer is a fascinating watch! They go really deep into Burton’s filmography connections and his style, recognizing the fact that he’s one of the most expressive filmmakers around. Fantastic watch/listen, I highly recommend!! Honest Trailer: The really fascinating watch, the commentary track:

[Neil]

Hunt for the Wilderpeople - Well this has got that tongue in cheek, pantomime, sentimental vibe that the Aussies and Kiwis seems to have nailed at times! A definite guilty pleasure film! Starring Sam Neill and directed by Taika Waititi (Thor: Ragnarok).

[shootemindehead]

There's no guilt involved. It's a great film. In fact, I would call it Waititi's best.

[Neil]

There's no guilt involved. It's a great film. In fact, I would call it Waititi's best. Going to be interesting to see what he does the Time Bandits TV series!

[bassman]

I don’t think I’ve seen Wilderpeople yet. As good/funny as Waititi’s What We Do In The Shadows? That’s his best that I’ve seen, IMO. Glass Great ending to a great trilogy from Shymalan. He’s come a long way in repairing his reputation after the whole Airbender fiasco. McAvoy again gives a stellar performance as The Horde and probably deserves more recognition for it. Unbreakable is still probably my favorite of the three, but they’re all enjoyable and a great series as a whole!

[MinionZombie]

Triple Frontier A Netflix movie starring Ben Affleck, Charlie Hunnam, Oscar Isaac, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal. They play military guys past their prime and in need of cash, so they stage a covert mission by themselves to rob a cartel boss whose house is literally his safe. The moral of the story is basically "greed is bad" and not much more, really, although there are some compelling character scenes and the action stuff works nicely, but it does feel a little bit thin. Mixed bag of needle drops on the soundtrack, too ... there's a couple of overused ones like "Run Through The Jungle" feeling a smidge on-the-nose, but a couple of choice cuts of old school Metallica are a nice surprise. Director J.C. Chandor also made "A Most Violent Year", which was more intriguing. All-in-all pretty decent and it kept me watching, but it left me yearning for more meat on its bones.

[MinionZombie]

Annihilation Finally got around to seeing this Alex Garland sci-fi/horror starring Natalie Portman. I really enjoyed it, particularly as I'm a fan of the book "Roadside Picnic" and "STALKER", with which this film shares a bit of DNA (although it's based on the book of the same name). Visually it was stunning and inventive, and the 'bear sequence' really creeped me out. It was surprisingly gory at times, and quite atmospheric (the soundtrack really helped with that as well). I'm so glad that the producer (who had final cut) refused to meddle with the movie to make it 'more likeable' after a duff test screening. While it's a shame it got somewhat 'ditched' on International release, maintaining the integrity of what the film is supposed to be was the best thing to do (had they allowed the tampering it would have made for a weaker and less interesting film). I really enjoyed this one. Jigsaw There's literally no need for this movie to exist, that's what it keeps screaming at you from minute one. There's a couple of good moments here and there, but the franchise became so formulaic quite rapidly during its original run that this belated sequel just feels pointless. The general story of the franchise gets even more convoluted, making up even more contorted reasons to rinse a bit more material out of the premise, but this franchise ran out of juice years ago. Even though Saw 6 was a bit of a jump in quality compared to Saws 4 & 5, Saw 7 was a weak close to the annual franchise (but that didn't justify a return all these years later). In many ways it's like a checklist of elements being ticked off throughout the movie with the inevitable twist feeling underwhelming.

[bassman]

^ I loved Annihilation! Seen it several times and I’m sure I’ll go back for more. Shazam! (No Spoilers) DC and WB continue their winning streak after the whole Justice League debacle. Much like the two previous films, Shazam definitely takes place in the same universe as Snyder’s films, but they continue to keep the connections minimal and focus on each individual story. We often heard that the film was Big mixed with Superman, and that connection definitely rings true. It’s touching, it’s funny, it has good messages, and above all else it’s just fun to watch! They’ve already announced the inevitable sequel so that they can use the same kids before they mature too far, plus whatever is happening with Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam, and the first film sets up some possible future threads that may or may not be utilized, so I certainly look forward to more! Shazam is just a fun time at the movies!

[EvilNed]

The Fifth Cord 1970's era giallo with Franco Nero as a depressed journalist out to solve a crime. Beautifully shot, but a melancholic commentary on the modern existance - specifically the isolation of modern society. Love it! Big Red One I have to say I wasn't that impressed with this - one of few - World war 2 films from the 80's. Night of the Living Dead + Commentary The classic with the commentary. In fact I think I enjoyed it more this way! Feels like listening to a group of old friends reminisce. Lord of the Rings Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King Revisited these three classic films for the first time in around 10 years. While I can really apprecate the craftmanship that went into these they're not really for me. At times they're way to over the top and pretentious. Also I had the misfortune of watching the extended versions that don't really add anything worthwhile but add on at least 30 minutes of running time. L'ultimo mondo cannibale Aka Jungle Holocaust, aka Last Cannibal World. GREAT stuff. Excellent cannibal film. This was Ruggero Deodato's first cannibal film, predating Cannibal Holocaust. Street Law Enzo G. Castellari directed quite a few italian action flicks during the 70's and 80's and most of them are really good! This is a great proto-Tarantino crime film about how crime catches up with ordinary people. Very stylish. We all loved each other so much There were a lot of epic, generation-spanning tales made during the 70's. This is one of them, directed by Ettore Scola. We follow a group of 3 friends who bond during the final days of World war 2 and then their lives intertwine in one way or another all the way up to the "present" (that is, the 70's). I liked the film and these kind of films always touch me - but I feel like I need to watch it again to get the most out of it. Horror Rises from the Tomb Paul Naschy star vehicle from the early 70's. A group of friends hold up in a countryside villa surrounded by a swamp. A satanic curse brings to life an old sorcerer who in various ways tries to kill the friends. In one very effective scene the killed of characters rise out of the swamp and attack the villa in a very Night of the Living Dead-ish scene. One of the earliest examples of how NOTLD influenced the horror genre (the film was released in April, 1973) Paura in cittá - Fear in the City Italian crime-film with Maurizio Merli as a "tough on crime"-cop who beats up street thugs for 90 minutes. Us I enjoyed it! Made a seperate thread about it. Shutter Island Felt like revisiting this. Great film. Atmospheric, heavy, dark. Hitch-Hike A so called "terror-film", like Night Train Murders or Last House on the Left. Not really my cup of tea, but at least I got to watch Franco Nero and David Hess duke it out. Deep Red The shorter export-cut. Felt like I needed to see this. Not sure which version I prefer. Convoy Busters Another italian crime-film with Maurizio Merli as a "tough on crime"-cop who beats up street thugs for 90 minutes. La mala ordina - The Italian Connection It's amazing how cheap this crime-film looks compared to the contemporaneous Street Law, mentioned above. But it's appreciated in the genre and there's some great action in there. Sleepy Hollow I watched this after someone here mentioned it. Bassman I think? To be honest I'm not that fuzzed about it... But I must have seen this a 100 times because despite not having seen it since the VHS-era I still remember almost every line. Ant-Man and the Wasp I liked the first Ant-Man and this is no exception. This is how I like my superhero films. Comic, adventurous, actionpacked and doesn't take itself - or the genre - seriously. The Pumaman Italian superhero film from the 80's. Super cheap and super silly, but enormously fun. The Fantastic Argoman Italian 60's superhero. It's got such a great soundtrack that I kinda felt was underused. Because it's really fun watching this silly Italian cheap Superman knockoff beating up robots, henchmen and whatnot for the duration of the film. Mansion of the Living Dead Jess Franco's Tombs of the Blind Dead-knock off, but a lot worse. Some Francoish atmosphere manages to creep in tho. It's got something. Massacre in Dinosaur Valley 80's cannibal flick. No massacre in sight, except for the one our hero causes when he rushes into the natives camp with a shotgun. Opera Haven't seen this late-era Giallo from Argento in like 10 years. But it's really, really good! I'd forgotten of how good it is. Amazing, really. Revolver Sergio Sollima directed Crimeflick with Oliver Reed as a tough prison warden who kidnaps a lowly thug in order to get his wife back from an unknown crimelord. Not as good as it sounds like, but still a fun ride and even more melancholic than I thought it would be. Eyeball Umberto Lenzi's final giallo is good fun! The Silence Netflix latest horror release. I thought it was really good, but Stanley Tucci's middle class family patriarch manages to adapt a survivalist mentality rather too quick... Den skyldige - The Guilty Danish one-location film which I believe has already been picked up by a Hollywood production company to be remade. It's a 90 minute realtime thriller about a 911 operator who gets a strange call he can't let go off. Night of the Werewolf Paul Naschy-star vehicle. He's a werewolf. Man, these Paul Naschy films really do share a lot in common with each other. There's always a secluded castle or villa and they almost appear to be partly set in the middle ages... despite being set in "today". Maybe 1970s Spain was really rife with Highwaymen. The Bloodstained Butterfly Revisiting this 70's giallo with killer aesthetics. I loved this film even more on second viewing! Whirlpool Jose Ramon Larraz, a spanish director with a career in the UK, directed this sleazeball of a film in 1970. I didn't really like it. It's mostly just scenes of people making out and having sex in 1970's low budget aesthetic... Captain Marvel Unimpressive Superhero outing. Sudden Impact 4th Dirty Harry-film. I enjoyed it way more than The Enforcer! However still a far cry from the masterful Magnum Force.

[MinionZombie]

Lord of the Rings Lord of the Rings - The Two Towers Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King Revisited these three classic films for the first time in around 10 years. While I can really apprecate the craftmanship that went into these they're not really for me. At times they're way to over the top and pretentious. Also I had the misfortune of watching the extended versions that don't really add anything worthwhile but add on at least 30 minutes of running time. Hitch-Hike A so called "terror-film", like Night Train Murders or Last House on the Left. Not really my cup of tea, but at least I got to watch Franco Nero and David Hess duke it out. Ant-Man and the Wasp I liked the first Ant-Man and this is no exception. This is how I like my superhero films. Comic, adventurous, actionpacked and doesn't take itself - or the genre - seriously. Massacre in Dinosaur Valley 80's cannibal flick. No massacre in sight, except for the one our hero causes when he rushes into the natives camp with a shotgun. Eyeball Umberto Lenzi's final giallo is good fun! The Bloodstained Butterfly Revisiting this 70's giallo with killer aesthetics. I loved this film even more on second viewing! Sudden Impact 4th Dirty Harry-film. I enjoyed it way more than The Enforcer! However still a far cry from the masterful Magnum Force. 1) The third movie's extended cut adds on a whole hour of material, but unlike you I feel the extra material really does add to the films. 2) I quite enjoyed Hitch-Hike, not as much as the other two flicks you mention alongside it, but it was quite an interesting one especially with the thrid act. 3) I'm a big fan of the Ant-Man flicks. The second one isn't quite as good as the first, but it's a really solid outing. I do like a variety in my superhero flicks (I don't want them all to be dark and brooding, but likewise I don't want them all to be chucklehut gagfests). Whatever suits the material best is the key. Paul Rudd really shines in these movies and boosts them with his on-screen charisma, likewise with Evangeline Lilly ... heck, the whole cast is pretty darn good. 4) I found Massacre In Dinosaur Valley to be a really interesting flicks. My thoughts on it here: https://deadshed.blogspot.co.uk/2018...y-michele.html 5) Eyeball gets a lot of love from the giallo fanbase, although I've never quite seen why it's so revered. It's a middling giallo, to be frank. I do enjoy it, but it's a good distance away from the best examples of the genre. I recently got the fancy release that 88 Films put out by way of giving it a second chance, and while I enjoyed it a bit more, it was still a middling giallo. 6) The Bloodstained Butterfly is a cracking film. It was nice to discover this one and find a giallo with a different kind of focus (more of a police procedural and legal drama in many ways). A very good film, so it is. 7) Yeah, The Enforcer never quite jived with me. It had some moments, but it kinda felt like the impression of a Dirty Harry movie rather than an actual Dirty Harry movie. That said, it was the last one that really looked and sounded like a classic Dirty Harry flick. Sudden Impact is a bit of a shakeup to the franchise visually, aurally, and even the setting is different. However, it does work pretty well and does improve on its predecessor, but 3, 4, and 5 can't touch upon the first two movies.

[bassman]

Now that you watched Pumaman(why would you do that to yourself? ) you should consider seeking out the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version on the YouTube’s. Really funny watch. I recently watched the first season of Happy! with Christopher Meloni and Patton Oswalt. I believe the second season is airing on TV now, so I’ll have to catch up later, but that first season is some of the most original television I’ve seen in years! A dark comedy involving a young kidnapped girl, who then sends her imaginary unicorn friend Happy(Oswalt) to find Meloni’s character, who is an ex-cop who is now a drunk, junkie, homeless, insane....and sloppy hitman. Very dark comedy ensues and I adored it! I’d heard of Grant Morrison’s source comic(he’s involved), but I can’t compare as I haven’t read it. On it’s own though, I can’t recommend it enough and really think some of you guys here would also love it. When did SyFy start producing good material?? The first season is currently on Netflix.