Rate the last movie you've seen

[clanglee]

"Horns" 8/10 (Great) - An odd mix of dark faerie tale, Tales From the Crypt episode, murder mystery, & revenge. I wanted to enjoy Horns. . I didn't hate it, but I so loved the books that. . .well. . .of course the movie fell short for me.

[MoonSylver]

Haven't read the book, but after the movie, I checked out the Wiki page on it: it sounded better TBH. There were things in the article that made the movie make more sense in general. The movie was beautifully shot, decently enough acted, & was an interesting juxtaposition of styles, but yeah, ultimately a bit "off". I might even have to bump my rating down to a 7, as the more I'd thought about the movie, I thought of the flaws more than the positive aspects of it...

[Geordie9]

5/10 - - - Updated - - - 6/10 - - - Updated - - - 6/10

[MoonSylver]

Ok, so apparently with Valentines Day fast approaching, I've lost my mind & either think that by watching enough estrogen soaked movies that I will somehow morph INTO a chick, or that one will spontaneously spring forth from my brow fully formed like Aphrodite from Zeus, or something, but brace yourself for my version of "I Have Shamed Myself..." "Silver Linings Playbook" 10/10 (Must See) Hits every single note you'd want from a feel good rom com, with some actual meat on the fluff in a well written depiction of mental illness & families dealing with it. Cooper is solid, but J-Law steals the show, & DeNiro turns in the best performance I've seen from him in awhile. "Stuck In Love" 10/10 (Must See) - Again, everything you'd want in this genre of film. Great performances by the ensemble cast. Kinnear & Conley solid as always, Lily Collins (Phil's daughter?!?) was a great surprise (didn't know who she was before this!), & Liana Liberato was adorable (as she was in "Haunt" as well). "Don Jon" - 8/10 (Great) - Good performances from Gordon-Levett & Scar-Jo, solidly written & directed from out leading man, not a typical rom com, underneath it's crass Jersey exterior it has some surprisingly sharp observations about love, the ideal relationship, the quest for perfection, how our unrealistic expectations are shaped, & finding the real thing, from the POV of both sexes. "In A World" 8/10 (Great) Quirky, witty, & atypical family drama/view of the voice over industry w/ rom com elements. Again, not your stereotypical film from triple threat Lake Bell (written, directed, starring), in a wonderfully weird work of female empowerment.

[MinionZombie]

I agree, "Silver Linings Playbook", "Don Jon", and "In A World" were all cracking flicks!

[MoonSylver]

I agree, "Silver Linings Playbook", "Don Jon", and "In A World" were all cracking flicks! If you liked "Silver Linings", you should check out "Stuck In Love" then. I've watched it twice already this week. "Drinking Buddies" 7/10 (Good) - An interesting exercise in film making (all dialog is improvised by the actors, only the plot scripted). All the characters are enjoyable to watch, the actors really live in their roles, & the dialog feels very organic as a result. Olivia Wylde in particular is just a treat to watch as she's so much fun. However, just like real life, not a lot happens & there's no real resolution at the end, so as entertainment it suffers a little & makes me take the 8 I wanted to give to a 7. But if you're a fan of film & indie film making you should check it out. It feels very much like watching a slice of these four characters "real" lives.

[MinionZombie]

Likewise, I dug "Drinking Buddies" and agree on all points, particularly Olivia Wilde.

[MoonSylver]

Likewise, I dug "Drinking Buddies" and agree on all points, particularly Olivia Wilde. I could watch that chick reading the phone book & dig it...but she actually is good in this too. It's nice that she's smokin' hot AND can act...that way I can feel a little justified in perv'ing on her...

[bassman]

"Stretch" - A film made "on the cheap" by Joe Carnahan(Narc, Smokin Aces, The Grey) for 5 million. Patrick Wilson stars as an alcoholic and addict that's had a rough time in life and has taken a job driving a limousine in Los Angeles. After several funny appearances from some A-list stars playing themselves, he soon realizes that his entire life has led up to this one particular night of driving around a Howard Hughes-like billionaire played hilariously by Chris Pine(Star Trek). The film has lots of laughs and a quirky narration throughout that makes it a great thrill for 90 minutes. Currently on Instant Netflix. 7/10

[MoonSylver]

"Stretch" - A film made "on the cheap" by Joe Carnahan(Narc, Smokin Aces, The Grey) for 5 million. Patrick Wilson stars as an alcoholic and addict that's had a rough time in life and has taken a job driving a limousine in Los Angeles. After several funny appearances from some A-list stars playing themselves, he soon realizes that his entire life has led up to this one particular night of driving around a Howard Hughes-like billionaire played hilariously by Chris Pine(Star Trek). The film has lots of laughs and a quirky narration throughout that makes it a great thrill for 90 minutes. Currently on Instant Netflix. 7/10 Sold. I'll try to check it out this weekend. I like Patrick Wilson quite a bit, & the description sounds interesting.

[MinionZombie]

Sold. I'll try to check it out this weekend. I like Patrick Wilson quite a bit, & the description sounds interesting. Aye, I've heard good things about that movie so I'll be sure to check it out when it pops up on my telly box.

[Geordie9]

5/10 - - - Updated - - - 4/10 - - - Updated - - - 5/10

[bassman]

Wow....I've never even heard of Hooper's Spontaneous Combustion. Surprising....

[Geordie9]

7/10 - - - Updated - - - 5/10 - - - Updated - - - 5/10

[MoonSylver]

Wow....I've never even heard of Hooper's Spontaneous Combustion. Surprising.... I seem to remember it getting a fair amount of coverage in Fango back in the day & looking forward to its release since I loved Dourif & wanted to see what Hooper was up to. IIRC it was delayed quite a while due to rewrites, reshoots, editing, or other production problems. I remember being underwhelmed & nothing else, other than it seemed like an incoherent mess. I've though of it a few times over the years, but never really had the desire to track it back down & revisit it. "Lars and the Real Girl" 8/10 (Great) - Disregard any expectations when approaching this movie,as it's likely not what you think. Surprisingly sweet, sensitive, gentle, & touching considering what one would think could be a potentially salacious & uncomfortable premise. Another film that very respectfully handles the the subject of mental illness. There are a few stretches of disbelief required,   in how accepting the town is of Lars delusion, & how far they're willing to go to help but really that is true of most rom-com's in one form or another, so not a deal breaker. Gosling gives a good performance as the fragile, damaged titular character. "Mine Games" (aka "The Evil Within") 7/10 (Good) - A pleasant surprise in a surprisingly cerebral "horror" (more of a thriller, really) flick that I would love to give an 8, but the lack of an explanation merits the loss of a point. Reminded me of a a movie that did do it much better.   Triangle "Barefoot" 7/10 (Good) - typical mismatched duo rom-com, replete w/ eye rolling stretches of credulousness that should probably only merit a "6", that earns a full point bump based on the strength of lead actress Evan Rachel Wood's performance, which is so effortlessly adorable, charming, & delightful that it carries the film.