MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > What did you watch this week? (08/20-08/...

What did you watch this week? (08/20-08/26)


Good sunday gang! It's that time of the week!

Mine:

Hot Shots! 2 (1993 Netflix): Pure fun and entertainment with lots of laughs and classic moments. 7-7.5/10

Naked (2017 Netflix): I always liked Marlon Wayans and the director also did A Haunted House, which I liked but boy, this was a fail. Poor story, crappy dialogues and practically devoid of good humour, even Marlon could not save this mess. Regina Hall looked like Princess Fiona, there I said it. I had to get it out of my system. 4/10

Monsieur Lazhar (2011 DVD): ‘’ At a Montréal public grade school, an Algerian immigrant is hired to replace a popular teacher who committed suicide in her classroom. While helping his students deal with their grief, his own recent loss is revealed.’’ A simple, humble and heartfelt movie that succeeds mainly thanks to its cast. It proudly represented us French Canadians at the Oscars. My only complaint would be that it was not long enough. 7.5-8/10

The Monkey King (‘’ Xi you ji: Da nao tian gong’’2014 Netflix):’’ A monkey born from heavenly stone acquires supernatural powers and must battle the armies of both gods and demons to find his place in the heavens.’’ Okay, so I saw this movie 3 months ago and I did not understand fuckall about it so it seemed like complete mess of confusion to me. But now that I gave it a second look, I got the premise right and was able to enjoy all the craziness that followed (could’ve enjoyed it more if I didn’t have to read the subtitles). I can’t help but wonder what this movie would be like on PCP or magic mushroom. It’s really imaginative, filled with strange wonders and supported by a strong cast. I still prefer The monkey King 2 (2016) because it has better graphics and a more coherent story but this one improved from a 5 to a 6.5-7/10.

Reign of Fire (2002 DVD): I grew up reading Dragon Lance books so dragons have an important place in my life. I was very skeptic about this one and I thought it was going to be a cheap medieval movie. The good surprise is it’s actually a well-made post-apocalyptic world of the future where dragons terrorize humans. Christian Bale was solid as the lead, Matthew McConaughey was badass (as if JCVD and Connor McGregor had a baby) and Gerald Butler was a great addition. The graphics were weak at times but mainly successful considering this came out 15 years ago. 6.5-7/10

Scrubs Season 5 (DVD): Another great season! The last 3 episodes were amazing and it contains the extended cut of the 100th episode. Overall: 8.5/10

I ordered the first season of Preacher after seeing the trailer and I watched the first 3 episodes. The pilot was awesome, the other two were good. Looks like Im going to enjoy this serie.

I also started the Daredevil show on Netflix and Im at the 6th episode of season 1. I think I prefer Preacher but I like the legal side of the story and the Vincent Donofrio part is getting very interesting. I think the fight scenes need better lighting and the characters are not as good as Preacher’s.

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The last ship,season 1-3...i didn't know so much about this show,but i give it a shot anyway...it's one of the best tv shows that i ever seen so far.

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One of the best huh ? I'll have to investigate the situation.

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Be my guest,stonekeeper😉

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Oh wow thanks for reminding me it's back! Season 4 is currently airing. Going to have to catch up.

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I'm waiting for the entire season 4,then i will bring it from the net.

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Yeah I would rather binge the entire season at once. When I watch shows one episode per week, I tend to forget what happened last time.

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This week I've watched

Preacher Season 2 episode 10.I think I'm enjoying this season even more than the first.I won't say anything more as you've just started watching.You're in for a treat.

Stranger Things-I've so enjoyed this beautiful love letter to the 80's.I'm late to the party but what's great is that I won't have to wait too long for the next season.With multiple references to all things 80's from Stephen King and Spielberg to Poltergeist and reading about The Duffer Brothers and how they made it happen has been so interesting.

Black Mirror-Season 3 episodes 1 and 2- I've always enjoyed Black Mirror and it's cautionary tales about technology.The first episode looked at Social Media literally controlling people's lives and the second at virtual reality gaming.Great stuff.

The Mist- episode 1.Ok I'm not sure that I'll keep on watching this,reasonably promising but it didn't really make me excited to watch the next episode in the way Stranger Things did.I may give it another chance.

Rick and Morty- Season 3 Pickle Rick was great fun,not for the easily offended!

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I watched Stranger Things when it came out. It's not my type but I enjoyed it all. I prefer The Get Down though.

My 17 years old nephew showed me Rick and Morty a few weeks ago. It was fun and funnier than Futurama of Family guy.

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Stranger Things was good. I'm not a fan of things that are too referential /Ready Player One made me literally angry/, but the story stood on its own and the whole thing was very well made.

I love Black Mirror. In fact, I enjoy anything that comes out of Charlie Brooker's head.

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Preacher is awesome.
Haven't decided about Mist yet.

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Hot Shot 2 - I happened to rewatch Hot Shot and Hot Shot 2 about 2 months ago and they are as great as I remember back then in the '90s. I miss silly '90s comedy. The only thing we got now in the vein of this kind of laugh every few minutes movie are the Sharknado series, but still not as good. The last one I've considered good was Kungfu Hustle way back in 2004.

The Monkey King - For Asians, The Monkey King story is maybe as popular as Cinderella. Practically every single kid in East Asia and South East Asia knows it. That said, the movie itself is pretty bad. It tries a new angle of the story seldom told before, but fails miserably. It also tries to reinvent the tale as if it's a romantic love story when there was actually none in the original arc of the legend. It's more like Maleficent than it is Sleeping Beauty. The Monkey King 2 is more conventional and straight-forward. A lot better than this one.

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Hey man!

Thanks for the input. There is so many version or related movies of The Monkey King that I noticed it was an important contemporary piece of Asian history. Oh and I love Kungfu Hustle and Shaolin soccer too.

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Well, the only movie I watched this week was...

Superman vs The Elites (2012) - I'm pretty sure this is one of the best Superman premise out there that is not the iconic origin story. In this movie Supes face the worst enemy of all time, himself. It essentially a desconstruction of the defining character of the Man of Steel himself. As cliched as it sounds it actually is really interesting.

Unfortunately, the character designs are terrible and didn't fit the tone of this movie. Even the box art is misleading: it doesn't look like what in the movie at all.

Then there's the ending which was unnecesarily contrived and told using long-winded talking, exposition and silly deus ex-machina characters (I suspect the animation budget is already depleted at this stage).

However, it's still highly enjoyable and thought-provoking. And any flick that can make Superman non-boring deserved to be given thumbs up.

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Saw a bunch this week as I was off work. Some of them were my wife's choices:

Passengers (2016) - A nice little movie. This is a Rom Com in the end. My wife loved it. 7/10

Meagan Leavey (2017) - Based on a true story. The movie puts some needed attention on military dog handlers. It is a heart warming story. My wife was crying. The dog was great. 7.5/10.

Rings (2017) - The first Ring movie was very good. I can't remember much about Ring 2. Rings tells us the origins of Samara and is reasonably well done. I have a feeling there will be more based on the ending. 7/10.

Nocturnal Animals (2016) - Well written and well acted. The big question about this movie is the ending. I had to go to the board to see the different interpretations. Michael Shannon was great as a dying cop. Very good 8/10.

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Killing Ground (2016) - A couple camping comes upon a brutal crime and then becomes victims themselves. This has been done before but there are some twists which kept me interested. An Australian movie. 7/10.

Berlin Syndrome (2017) - An Australian girl travelling in Germany falls for a local teacher and ends up being his captive. Teresa Palmer is great as the captive. Plodding in places but underrated IMO. 7.5/10.

Alien: Covenant (2017) - The biggest disappointment of the week. The Engineers weren't mentioned and the Xenomorphs are fully grown in minutes. 6.5/10.

Dark Places (2015) - Theron was miscast and the plot was ridiculous. 6/10

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Hi, haven't seen any of those. Im curious about Nocturnal animals though.

Meagan leavey looks like a promising movie that fell under the radar.

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I just can't see Passengers as a Rom Com. The concept is just too creepy. But then again, so is Overboard and that worked, so what do I know... But I did think it was a missed opportunity for some more interesting exploration of the repercussions from Chris Pratts actions.

I liked Nocturnal Animals as well. And I agree, Michael Shannon was great!

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What the Health- Good food documentary on how the government, USDA, Associations of Breast, Diabetes, and Cancer all get subsidized by the very companies they are trying to cure illnesses from. I cannot believe the U.S. is this corrupt!

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Just reading that makes my skin curl.

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Oh you should watch it! It is a great documentary. I thought I had seen many good ones until I came across a recommended video on youtube. Under comments, one person recommended this one and I have to say, it is the best Food Documentary I have ever seen yet!

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Hey, SK!

I swear I must have seen the Hot Shots movies! But it was so long ago I barely remember anything. Was this the one with the chicken "arrows"? Anyway, at least I remember them being fun lol.

Reign of Fire was alright. But I confuse it with that other dragon movie that came out around the same time /there was one, right? I'm not making it up?/

Preacher is great! Keep watching, it just gets crazier.

For me this week:

Kätilö (The Midwife, 2015)
Finland, WWII. The story of a midwife who goes to work in a concentration camp, because she wants that SS dick. But fear not, the dick is attached to one of the good guys in the SS. And boy does he have flashbacks to the terrible things he’s done. As a war movie, it lacked the deep exploration of the atrocities committed during it. As a romance movie, it wasn’t all that touching. It was pretty though… Also, do you know how many movies called “The Midwife” there are? A bunch!

Bring It On: All or Nothing (2006)
If “cringe” was distilled and put into film form, this would be it. Britney is a cheerleader. She moves schools. She has to fit in with the “urbans” now and also deal with her “friends” from her old school. Everything was terrible in this film. The choreography. The acting. The dialogue. It’s filled with what I can only assume are very offensive stereotypes /if you’re an American of any skin tone and background/. Still, I did watch it ‘till the end, so it does suck you in with its terribleness. Also, Rihanna is in it for some odd reason...

Dave Made a Maze (2017)
Dave made a maze. A labyrinth to be more precise. And the idiot only went and got lost inside. His girlfriend, with the help of some friends, sets out to rescue him. People die. I went into this one cold. I had no idea what it was about or who starred in it. And boy was I in for a surprise! Charming, fun, inventive, quirky /the good, not forced, kind/. I enjoyed it a lot!

...

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...

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
What is this? A comic book movie with colours and actual fun stuff? It can’t be true! I like James Gunn. I liked the first one. This one has Kurt Russell in it. I can’t not like it. It was vibrant, the humour worked for me, I had fun. I don’t ask much more from a film like this.

Lik wong (Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky, 1991)
Riki goes to prison. He’s a tough dude, with a gentle soul. There are other tough dudes there. Also, poppy growing /gotta get that opium/. Ridiculous stuff happens, our hero prevails. It was over-the-top and ridiculous, but in a good way. Very enjoyable.

Life (2017)
Scientists find a Martian cell. It grows. It kills a bunch of astronauts. These very smart people's final plan for luring The Thing /I wish!/ is the same thing I do when a moth gets into the house... An ironic twist happens /oh, the humanity/. Gyllenhaal and Reynolds are pretty to look at… That as much “praise” as I can give this film. I didn’t care for the characters. I wasn’t frightened by the alien. There was no tension build up. A huge misfire. Also, on how many doomed spaceships is Hiroyuki Sanada going to be stationed? The guy has the worst luck.

I'm still finishing Automata. But! I DON'T HAVE A WIFE ANYMORE!

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Hiroyuki Sanada is the Sean Bean of spaceship captains. I bet if Hollywood someday plan to make a Titanic reboot/sequel "Titanic in Space", they would definetely cast him as the captain.

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Isn't he just! The thing is, I saw the film yesterday, and I already don't remember how he died!

I bet they're working on that Titanic in Space movie lol. Maybe this time they won't collide with a space iceberg /comet?/, but Sanada himself, hurtling through space. It only the most natural progression.

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''Reign of Fire was alright. But I confuse it with that other dragon movie that came out around the same time /there was one, right? I'm not making it up?/''

Oh yeah, Im pretty sure I know which other one your talking about, although Im not sure if there really is another one, hum.


Riki-Oh is great for what it is but I honestly expected more humour and less seriousness.


''I'm still finishing Automata. But! I DON'T HAVE A WIFE ANYMORE!''

Haha, don't give up, those little robots are so appealing.

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I tried looking for that other movie, but I can't find it! This is strange.

You thought Riki-Oh was serious? This was an ATM /the film group/ pick and we've been discussing how silly it is. Your insight would be appreciated /link and shameless "plug" https://moviechat.org/tt0102293/Riki-Oh-The-Story-of-Ricky/597e4f9d8d005c00119f17d5/ATM-Riki-Oh /

I'll get around to finishing Automata, eventually lol.

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Yeah, I feel like they tried too hard to had an element of drama to the character. Okay I'll leave a word.

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Bonne Journée Stone

Spirits of the Dead-1968-Jane Fonda, Brigitte Bardot, Peter Fonda. 3 Poe stories by 3 different directors.
A good cast couldn't save this. The only story I liked was the one directed by Fellini- 6

Danny Collins-2015-Al Pacino, Annette Bening. Pacino is a singer who is still touring after 40 years. Still living off his
popularity and old songs. He is given a letter for him written by John Lennon that was never delivered. After reading
it he is inspired to change his life and reconnect with his family. I actually enjoyed this movie. It's never too late to change
your life.-7

The Man Who Knew Too Much-1956-James Stewart, Doris Day- Still a good movie. Never get tired of it.-7.5

Marty-1955-Ernest Borgnine, Betsy Blair- This just a great movie. Every time I watch it I just feel good.
Such a simple story but beautifully done. -8

Hamlet-1948-Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons- The classic story. This is kind of a toned down version. Some of the scenes
are out of order and some of the characters were completely left out. None of that matters. It is a brilliant adaptation.-8.5

Blithe Spirit-1945-Rex Harrison, Constance Cummings,Margaret Rutherford - A comedy about a married couple
who have a séance and bring back the first wife of Harrison. I really enjoyed it. Rutherford was wonderful as usual.-7.5

Capsule-2015- This is about a British pilot who is on their first manned mission to space during the Cold War.
Most of the movie is filmed inside the capsule. As he travels around the earth he is contact with different people.
As the story unfolds you and him are questioning everything that is happening. This isn't the most realistic movie
you will see. Especially since this event didn't happen. The budget was low. It kept me interested to find out what
was actually happening. -7.5

Hot Shots is always good for a laugh or three.
I also love Scrubs and Preacher.

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Hey, thanks captain.
Haven't seen any of those. I'm mildly curious about Danny Collins

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I won't go into detail like I usually do so I'll just list what I've seen.

Good Time
Breakfast At Tiffanys
Lady Mac Beth
All Eyez on Me
Annabelle Creation
My Cousin Rachel
Binge watched tv series People of Earth and the first episode of Shameless

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I won't go into details but I love Tupac.

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Now let me welcome everybody to the wild, wild west
A state that's untouchable like Elliot Ness

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Yeaaah! Thats the Doctor!

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I'm assuming My Cousin Rachel wasn't the original.
I really like People of Earth.

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