Rate the last movie you've seen

[MinionZombie]

Aye, the Burly Brawl, for instance, shows off some dodgy CGI character models - both in terms of the textures on clothing and the motion of the characters themselves. You can see ones and zeros being calculated ... it's like the difference between a shot of a real curtain blowing in the wind, and the same shot created in a computer. One's obviously real, the other is obviously fake. Or, indeed, the difference between Freddy Kruger lunging through the wall above Nancy's bed in the original (done for real on the cheap with a bit of spandex) and the remake (done with expensive CGI) - the latter looks shite. While the Matrix sequels have some pretentious scenes (ergo, concordantly, blah blah blah, the Merovingian sapping all spark from the notion of love etc), I do think that it has been a lazy critique for several years now to say they're shit. They're not as good as the original, sure, and they take themselves too seriously and get loaded down with theories of theology etc, but for the most part they're very effective (the motorway sequence from #2, for instance, or the all-or-nothing war-cry-your-heart-out defence of Zion in #3).

[bassman]

Glow ( Seasons One & Two ) After lots of talk and praise, I had to give this series a spin. It was enjoyable, but not necessarily anything that reinvents the wheel. But it’s a relatively short series that has elements of pretty much everything and is worth the time. The ending of Season Two felt almost like a series finale, but at the same time the story could also continue, so I’m not sure?

[MinionZombie]

RE: "GLOW" I saw season 1 last year and really enjoyed it. Binged it over 3 days. I dig that the episodes are only as long as they need to be, which is unusual for a drama series (albeit a comedy drama in this case) as the running times vary from 26 to 46 minutes. Good characters to get invested in, well-written story, 1980s craziness, and Marc Maron as a down 'n' out B-Movie director with a coke habit ... what's not to like? I'm about to start season 2 of GLOW tonight.

[Neil]

I enjoyed season 2 more than season 1. I nearly gave up on Season 1... Enjoyed Season 2 more...

[MinionZombie]

Wet Hot American Summer (2001) I'd heard about it before, but forgot about it until the recent episode of WTF with Paul Rudd. Tracked it down and watched it last night. Super silly to the nth degree, filled with familiar faces who were early in their careers back in 2001. It's about the last day of camp at a summer camp where obvious adults play 16 year olds and various hijinks ensue. It's scattergun stuff, so certain things will hit and others will miss depending on your sense of humour, but it extracted several big laughs from me. Very random at times (e.g. a can of vegetables giving the cook a pep talk, which involves it boasting about how it can suck itself off whenever it likes). There's some good gags littered around that send up certain cliches (e.g. cancelling the baseball game). I'd like to see the prequel 8-part series that they did in 2015 (set on the first day of camp). A Cat in the Brain (1990) Lucio Fulci, in his declining years, as the Italian film industry crumbles around him with miniscule budgets. It's a weird mess of a film, but has some interesting ideas. Fulci plays himself in the midst of making another splatter flick (the film pinches footage from other Fulci films of the time that were struggling to get picked up by anyone - such as Touch Of Death), but he endures some kind of mental breakdown and keeps seeing horrors and sleaze everywhere. A crazed psychotherapist who despises his cheating wife hypnotised Fulci and seeks to frame the director for a series of grisly murders he's going to commit. There's a fair bit of gore splashed about, and plenty of flesh bared, but the plot is a mess. There's definitely a much better film in there somewhere, if only the script (and budget!) had been better. It needs more narrative cohesion, because it does somewhat descend into a lot of Fulci wandering around locations seeing various horrors in cutaways (some newly shot, some evidently pinched from other late-in-the-career Fulci movies). Fans of Fulci's work will get a kick out of it and enjoy the 'so bad it's good' nature of it (e.g. the totally mis-matched background scenery during the bit where Fulci runs down a drifter with his car). I nearly gave up on Season 1... Really?

[Neil]

Really? RE: Westworld... Just found season 1 very slow and seemingly too impressed with itself Season 2 I've found more of an interesting watch, at least for me...

[MinionZombie]

RE: Westworld... Just found season 1 very slow and seemingly too impressed with itself Season 2 I've found more of an interesting watch, at least for me... Wait, are we talking about Westworld or GLOW? I thought we were talking about GLOW?

[bassman]

Never Sleep Again: The Nightmare on Elm Street Legacy Having recently purchased the complete Elm Street box set and really sitting down to watch the films more attentively than ever before, I had to give this Documentary another watch. Luckily, a good copy of it is available on YouTube. As a huge lover of speacial features, a documentary like this is a dream come true. Nearly four hours and covering every little detail of an entire film series, you really can’t go wrong with this one. Highly recommended! I also just found Crystal Lake Memories on YouTube, so I’m looking forward to diving into that one! It’s kind of strange....within the last several months I’ve purchased and thoroughly dived into all the “big” 70’s and 80’s horror character films(Elm Street, Halloween, Friday 13th). I’d always seen them over the years during Halloween tv marathons, but for whatever reasons I’ve lately had the urge to dive deeply into them all and it’s been a blast! I’m glad to now own the complete collections and look forward to going through them again this October. Looking forward to Crystal Lake Memories! I’d love to see a complete series doc for Halloween now. Wet Hot American Summer (2001) I'd heard about it before, but forgot about it until the recent episode of WTF with Paul Rudd. Tracked it down and watched it last night. Super silly to the nth degree, filled with familiar faces who were early in their careers back in 2001. It's about the last day of camp at a summer camp where obvious adults play 16 year olds and various hijinks ensue. It's scattergun stuff, so certain things will hit and others will miss depending on your sense of humour, but it extracted several big laughs from me. Very random at times (e.g. a can of vegetables giving the cook a pep talk, which involves it boasting about how it can suck itself off whenever it likes). There's some good gags littered around that send up certain cliches (e.g. cancelling the baseball game). I'd like to see the prequel 8-part series that they did in 2015 (set on the first day of camp). I’ve not seen this one in ages, but I’ve had it saved ever since they released the prequel. I believe there’s now also a sequel? All I can remember of the original is laughing at Christopher Meloni’s hysterical character and him fighting in the kitchen? Anywho, I need to rewatch the original so I can see the newer entries on Netflix.

[MinionZombie]

Never Sleep Again: The Nightmare on Elm Street Legacy I also just found Crystal Lake Memories on YouTube, so I’m looking forward to diving into that one! I’ve not seen this one in ages, but I’ve had it saved ever since they released the prequel. I believe there’s now also a sequel? All I can remember of the original is laughing at Christopher Meloni’s hysterical character and him fighting in the kitchen? Anywho, I need to rewatch the original so I can see the newer entries on Netflix. 1) Aye, an excellent doc! Highly recommended viewing. I've never been much of a fan of parts 4 through 6, but I found them more interesting to hear about in the doc. IIRC, the ANOES doc is by the same folks who did Crystal Lake Memories. 2) Again, an excellent and hugely in-depth doc. I've seen it a couple of times, and that's after having read the epic tome that is the original book version. 3) Yup. The Vietnam vet cook is the best character. So unpredictable and weird and a great performance, too. Had no idea there was a sequel as well, but yeah - WHAS: Ten Years Later. Blimey!

[Neil]

Wait, are we talking about Westworld or GLOW? I thought we were talking about GLOW? Westworld Infact I've enjoyed Humans (Ch4) far more than Westworld come to think of it... ps: Not seen Glow.

[MinionZombie]

Westworld Infact I've enjoyed Humans (Ch4) far more than Westworld come to think of it... ps: Not seen Glow. Ohhhhhhhhh ... ... yeah, I think the first season of Westworld was a bit too clever for it's own good, and it kept me at arm's distance for a long time before I was eventually able to get into it more (around about episode 6, IIRC, as prior to that I was on the brink of giving up on it). The second season was much more accessible without compromising the intelligence of the show, but it just let the audience in a bit more, and it delved more into the drives and emotions of the characters. As for GLOW - give it a go, it's good fun. Speaking of GLOW - I bashed through season 2 in a couple of days and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd be stunned if it didn't get a third season, especially as the canvas for the show can widen into new territory. One of the things that impresses me most about GLOW is the writing and how they're able to make the audience think multiple ways about a specific character within the same episode, you go from rooting for them to hating them to understanding their perspective, to forgiving them, then back to rooting, then hating ... but in a way that feels entirely justified and sensible (humans are complex, flawed things) and never jumbled or anything like that.

[bassman]

Child’s Play Trilogy I got the urge to revisit these after the news of a remake. I’m calling it a trilogy, referring to the first three with “Child’s Play” actually in the title. Before they restarted the series years later with “Bride of Chucky”. The biggest thing I got from seeing these again is that the sequels don’t seem as bad as I often hear people say. Of course like most series, the original is the best, but the other two I feel hold up quite well now. I’ve noticed there’s been a sort of resurgence for the second film recently, with new merchandise and clothing, which makes sense because it has a certain 80’s charm to it that a lot of genre fans seem to enjoy. And yeah, I know it was made in 1990, but it still has that certain earlier 80’s feel to it in some small way. The third film, while the weakest of the three, is probably the most unique. It takes on a bit of a darker overall tone, and it makes for a decent little horror film in its own right. It’s kinda funny, when I was younger I remember I had a “movie crush” on the female lead. As soon as it started this time, I realized that she’s played by the same actress that was Ari Gold’s wife on Entourage. I’d never made the connection. Anyway, these three make up a good little series of films, I’d say. Later on, Bride would start some of the cheesiness, Seed would take it too far, while Curse and Cult would make a better balance and in some ways take it back to the style of the originals.

[beat_truck]

I liked the first two Child's Play movies. I have all three on VHS, but I don't know if I've ever actually watched the third. Maybe I'll watch it tonight. Playing on the 'net gets old, and there is never anything on TV fit to watch, anyhow.

[MinionZombie]

Following up from a previous one... Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp A prequel series to the cult movie (which took place on the last day of camp), in which the returning cast are now all circa 40 years old playing 16 year olds. They even have a line referencing 'make them feel 15 years younger by the last day of camp' as, chronologically, the movie (shot in 2000) takes place after this series (which was made in 2015). Considering how so many of the cast went on to huge success, it's amazing they've been able to coral all these (now) big names plus hook in a bunch more. Anyway, as before, it's hit and miss. Some things one person finds hilarious will flop with another person and vice versa, but the same random humour is maintained. Arguably eight episodes stretches it a bit thin as certain subplots feel a bit too weak for as much screentime as they're given, but even still it's sporadically hilarious throughout. We even get the origin of the talking can of vegetables! Now I've got "WHAS: Ten Years Later" to watch...

[EvilNed]

Fittest on Earth: A Decade of Fitness A documentary on Crossfit that caught my attention on Netflix. Tropic of Cancer A steaming hot giallo set in Haiti. The imagery sometimes reminds me of mondo cinema, which was probably the intention. Anthony Steffen and Anita Strindberg star. Both looking great and plenty of crisp fashion to be found. Some of the murders are especially grizzly. Hands of Steel Your basic 80's low budget post-apocalyptic affair. A half-man, half-cyborg gone rogue starts developing a conscience and revolts against his killer programming. There are so many better films on the exact same topic. Bonus points for an arm wrestling George Eastman. Colt 38 Special Squad Crime is rampant in Torino and the police form a special squad of tough cops to fight it! That's the plot - and it's GREAT PLOT! Veronica Spanish horror. Not at all as scary as the reviews make it out to be, but well done. Deadly Inheritance Early giallo from the 60's. Great fun and sort of deviating in it's imagery in that the people portrayed in it are not solely of the upper classes of society. An inheritance is split among the family members of a deceased railroad worker. Some need the money more than others and since the money isn't paid out until everyone has turned 21 some of the family start turning up dead. 2019 After the Fall of New York Italian Escape from New York-ripoff that works on some level. Even if that level is not the level intended by the filmmakers... The Sinister Eyes of Dr Orloff Jess Franco directed over 200 films if I recall correctly and it's understandeable that some of them were not that great. This is one of those. Having said that, it was a nice way to kill 90 minutes. An evil doctor hypnotizes a girl to commit murders. I think the point was to secure an inheritance for his accomplice - a relative of the girl. The Mountain of the Cannibal God Sergio Martino, who directed both Hands of Steel and 2019 (mentioned above) delivers this GREAT italian cannibal adventure! Man I feel like watching this again soon! Airplane! Dating a new girl. She hadn't seen this. I love when that happens. Next up: Anchorman. Missing in Action 2 Standard action. Missing in Action Why did I watch them in this order? Irene Huss - Tystnades cirkel & Irene Huss - Mannen med litet ansikte Nordic noir. Crap. (I worked on these 9 years ago) Ricky Gervais Humanity In the background. Not a huge fan but I liked this one. Giallo Not as bad as I remembered it, but completely uninteresting. Why would Dario Argento want to direct a serial killer-thriller with no special touch or spin to it at all? Why was this movie made? Think of the movie that was NOT made because of this one! Doppia Faccia Early giallo that also went under the name Liz & Helen and Double Face. Klaus Kinski in what is perhaps his absolute best giallo performance - which unfortunately is not saying a lot. But this film was great and Kinski was great in it! He plays a grieving widower who has reason to suspect that maybe his wife faked her own death. Kinski dresses sharp throughout the film and pursues his investigation throughout an immaculately eerie city at night. Very noirish. The Maniac Responsible / Calling all police cars! When I say early giallo I mean a giallo prior to when the black clad killer offing victims off became the norm. Here's the opposite; A late giallo - when the genre was waning and police films were in vogue. This happened around 1975. This film has almost the exact same plot as What have they done to your daughters? and Suspicous Death of a Minor: An underage daughter of a rich family turns up dead. The ensuing investigation leads the police to bust a prostitution ring. Despite these familiar tropes I liked it as it tried to give some depth to it's characters which is something this genre rarely bothers with at all.