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What did you awesome people watch this week? (01/09-01/15)

posted 3 years ago by StoneKeeper (28224)
60 replies | jump to latest

I had a good week movie wise, because don't et me wrong, I love being home with my family but outside my door, the world is going nuts. Especially here in Quebec. I mean, did any of you guys heard of us on the news lately? We were worldwide gossip material.

My good week:

A nightmare on Elm street (1984 DVD): I have to say this movie was foggy in my mind but one thing’s for sure, it was not as great as I remembered it. First of all, what’s up with those guys walking bare feet in the street? That was weird but I won’t deduct points for that. No, but I will because there’s honestly not that much going on and in the ending, the Nancy girl goes Home Alone on Freddy’s ass and he’s just being ridiculed. I felt bad for the poor guy. Then that part where she breaks the window and screams for the police to come over but they just stare at her and say « everything will be fine.”, that was highly frustrating to watch. When they finally go to help her she still has to do all the dirty job herself because they are too slow and pathetic. But still, this is the one that started it all and at the time it came out I can understand the hype it got. It lost of its shine over the years I’d say. And there is only a total of four kills…you can do better than that Freddy, c’mon man. My rating: 6.5/10

A nightmare on Elm Street 2: Even sillier, with another very low kill count and with less going on in it than the first one, this is a true joke. At least this time Freddy got wiser. Since he couldn’t defeat a young teenage girl the first time now he decided to befriend a young teenage boy to make him his ally. By the way if someone can explain to me how this teenage boy makes friend and girlfriend so easily I would appreciate it because he was a freak who he screamed like a girl. Eck, she just met him and the girl is willing to kiss Kruger on the mouth in order to help him. Even Freddy wants to be his fiend but he got a plan though, he wants to kill more teenagers through his new friend, unfortunately it all came at a cost: The maggots inside his chest were replaced by a bleeding heart so he just couldn’t pull it. Once again the teenage girl wins. What a fucking joke. 5/10

A nightmare on Elm Street 3: dream Warriors: This is the one with huge Freddy, tiny Freddy, super-giant Freddy, television Freddy. This is the one that should’ve been the sequel, this is the one with an Oscar winner and an Oscar nominee in the cast (take that young Johnny!) , this is the one with the best one-liners, this is the one where Nancy didn’t grow up at all but dresses like a grown-up woman so it makes a big difference, this is the one with “the group”, the sister, the wizard master, and this is the one with the boobies so this is my rating: 7.5/10

The dead don’t die (2019 Netflix): A few months ago I came close to buying this one for nine bucks but the reviews we’re not good and Jarmush is a hit and miss with me so I picked another movie. I regret it now because I really enjoyed it a lot and wish it was in my collection right now. My rating: 8/10

The rock (1996 DVD): I had seen this back in the days but only remember major scenes. I can now say that I’m totally up to date with Bay’s filmography and this sure is no exception from the rest of his work; bonkers and entertaining as can be. It reminds me of my good Call of Duty days, for some reason. Solid action flick. My rating: 7.5/10

The bouncer (2018 DVD): I bought this months ago when the video club closed its doors because I’m a JCVD fan but from the cover I expected some sort of silly action movie about a guard hired to protect a young girl but I was very wrong. I will even go as far as to say this movie was as good as JCVD. Highly recommended for any fan of the the Muscles from Bruxelles. Oh and, if you want a good chuckle read the IMDb storyline for this movie (by peter-Patrick). My rating: 7/10

[–] tcrum (31858) 3 years ago

The Dead Don't Die (2019) 6/10 I watched this a few months back. I really wanted to like it, but it just wasn't funny to me, and the story didn't keep my attention. I think this one will be become a cult film, is has style.

[–] StoneKeeper (28224) 3 years ago

It sure is a hate it or love it kind of film. Like most of Jarmusch’s movies are. but I thought this was way better than broken flowers or only lovers left alive.

[–] trevorh321 (5495) 3 years ago

The Naked City (1948) unusual film noir, fine performance by Barry Fitzgerald as Lt Muldoon, I intend to get the Criterion blu ray and watch it again 8/10

The Great Escape (1964) a masterpiece, incredible cast, production, direction, this has it all 10/10

The Three Musketeers (1974) very fun, wonderful production, terrific cast but I sure would have liked to have more Oliver Reed he stole every scene 8/10

Ship Ahoy (1942) I have become a huge Eleanor Powell fan, her dancing is spectacular and she is one of the most likeable actresses I've seen, silly plot typical of these types of films but that's secondary for me 9/10

The River's Edge (1987) promising beginning but much of the film is poorly paced, structured, I didn't really care much for the characters, the younger brother character of Keanu Reeves could have been removed completely and saved 10 minutes right there 5/10

Another Thin Man (1939) the third film in the series and it's another fun film, the mystery and comedy go hand in hand so well with Powell and Loy 8/10

A Yank at Oxford (1938) Taylor does a great job selling the athletic side of his character and his exuberance does the rest, the only problem I had was with the abrupt ending 7/10

[–] StoneKeeper (28224) 3 years ago

The great escape is on my list.

That’s about it.

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Hey,

A nightmare on Elm street 9/10
A nightmare on Elm Street 2 7/10
A nightmare on Elm Street 3 7/10
The dead don’t die 7/10
The rock saw this years ago, but don't really remember it
I haven't seen The bouncer and have no interest in it.

I was on vacation this week and went on a journey through time,watching films from 11 different decades. I watched:

The Dumb Girl of Portici 1916 8/10 The first epic directed by a woman. Featuring a wonderful performance by Russian ballet star, Anna Pavlova, The Dumb Girl of Portici is a historically significant film that should be required viewing of film buffs. The film had a big budget for its time and features lavish sets and costumes. It looks great for a 106 year old.

Shoes 1916 8/10 Mary MacLaren is very good as the young woman and the film is directed in an efficient and effective way.

The Cigarette 1919 7/10 Pretty interesting.

The Flying Ace 1926 7/10 This was enjoyable. It's a fun adventure, detective silent movie with an all black cast. The cast is likeable, it looks good, and there are some cool scenes. Definitely recommended.

Parisian Pleasures 1927 5/10 This was not good. The plot is very thin and poorly developed. There isn't much acting here at all. Some of the costumes and dancing were interesting though, but this film should not have been 1 hour and 43 minutes. It dragged on quite a bit. And the score is awful! Without a doubt, the worst score for a silent film I have ever heard. A few entertaining sequences, but this one is surprisingly bad.

Hellbound Train 1930 8/10 I enjoyed this,in spite of (or maybe because of) its flaws. It's pretty entertaining and surprisingly funny, although I'm not sure it was intended to be that way. The biggest takeaway is that the devil is apparently a really good dancer. It's fair to say that this is Christian propaganda, but it is odd and fun, in its own quirky way. It's worth boarding this Hellbound Train just to watch Satan's dance moves.

continued in next post...

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

The Emperor Jones 1933 7/10 Paul Robeson is fantastic here. The film itself isn't great and is a little uneven. It really starts to pick up steam towards the end though and finishes strong.

The Woman Condemned 1934 5/10 This wasn't very interesting. I didn't care much for the story or characters.

Down Argentine Way 1940 6/10 There isn't much of a story here and what is here isn't very interesting. The singing and dancing is pretty good and I like the costumes and the colour of the movie. It looks pretty, but should have been a more entertaining film.

Sun Valley Serenade 1941 7/10 A reasonably enjoyable musical comedy. It had some cute moments and nice singing.

Stormy Weather 1943 7/10 Not much of a plot, but absolutely a must see for the cast and the song and dance numbers. Some fantastic moments here.

Hangover Square 1945 6/10 Laird Cregar is great here and I liked the music, but I didn't find the story all that interesting. It picks up right towards the end, but it wasn't as compelling or entertaining as it could have been.

Dragonwyck 1946 7/10 Good performances. The story didn't always work for me, but there were enough strong elements to keep me interested. My main objection is that in a movie called Dragonwyck, there were zero dragons.

Park Row 1952 6/10 This was just alright. Some good moments, but didn't do much for me.

The Mystery of Picasso 1956 8/10 This was pretty cool.

Crime of Passion 1956 5/10 Stanwyck is good here and I liked the black and white cinematography, but the film itself wasn't very interesting.

Zazie dans le Métro 1960 8/10 Catherine Demongeot is wonderful here, giving a magnetic and energetic performance. The film is intentionally silly, fast paced and fun. Zazie is a zany delight.

The Creatures 1966 6/10 An ambitious, unusual film. I appreciate what it was going for, but it didn't completely work for me. It felt like a bit of a mess to me, although there were some great sequences.

continued in next post...

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

Putney Swope 1969 7/10 This was witty and sharp, with some really amusing moments.

Paranoia 1969 8/10 I enjoyed this quite a bit. Sexy, stylish fun with some cool thrills.

A Quiet Place to Kill 1970 8/10 This was a blast. Lots of good twists and turns with a fantastic ending. It was juicy and spicy, just the way I like it.

The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh 1971 7/10 This was pretty good. Some wonderful moments of sexy shenanigans.

Short Night of Glass Dolls 1971 7/10 This was a little different than what I expected. It's not as fun or sexy as some giallos, but it's still good. Some great moments.

The Case of the Bloody Iris 1972 7/10 An enjoyable, atmospheric giallo. Worth a watch.

Smithereens 1982 5/10 Didn't really care for this. I had a hard time getting invested in the characters or the story. I found the film dragged on and wasn't very entertaining.

Mad Love 1985 7/10 There are strong moments and successful elements to the film, but other parts that don't gel. This is definitely a mixed bag for me. The story feels unnecessarily complicated and the dialogue didn't help much.

The Secret of Roan Inish 1994 8/10 An enjoyable, well written film. It's very good natured and has a sweet gentleness to it. The cinematography is beautiful and the music was quite lovely too.

The Daytrippers 1996 8/10 Wonderful film. Terrific ensemble and very well written. This is funny, smart, and entertaining.

John Tucker Must Die 2006 7/10 This was a pretty predictable and generic teen movie. It had a lot of the usual cliches. In spite of that, I still liked it. There were some fun moments and enough laughs to make it worthwhile.

The Sitter 2011 7/10 This was pretty stupid and predictable, but it amused me.

Clifford the Big Red Dog 2021 7/10 This was cute.

The Tragedy of Macbeth 2021 9/10 This was excellent. Denzel Washington is fantastic and the rest of the cast are very good too. I love the cinematography. This is a beautiful looking film.

continued in next post...

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

The Jesus Music 2021 9/10 This was fantastic and I loved it. There were some really beautiful moments, both inspiring and heartbreaking. It was honest,insightful,and informative, with a lot of heart and humour.

I Do, I Do, I Do 2015 8/10 I enjoyed this. It was cute and entertaining.

Wow, what a week!

[–] StoneKeeper (28224) 3 years ago

What a week indeed. You get the star of the month with that one!

John Tucker must die: 6/10

The sitter: 6.5/10

The Jesus music actually sounds interesting.

The daytrippers looks fun.

[–] FredBurroughs (22220) 3 years ago

Tragedy of Macbeth is a fantastic adaptation and well worth seeing.

[–] capuchin (3358) 3 years ago

Hey, hey.

Notorious (Alfred Hitchcock, 1946) [IMDb TV]
North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959) [BBC]

Two Alfred Hitchcock films I probably don’t need to say much about. From what I can gather, I like Notorious more than most. It’s pretty masterfully put together and it has Ingrid Bergman in it. What’s not to like? And North by Northwest is the one where Hitchcock puts all his tried-and-tested tricks in one place. Both 5/5

La Pointe-Courte (Agnes Varda, 1955) [Criterion}
Le Bonheur (Agnes Varda, 1965) [Criterion]

Some people claim La Pointe-Courte as the first French New Wave film. I was sceptical of this claim, but now having watched it, I can’t see how it could be described as anything else. Shot on location, modern editing style, occasionally looks like a perfume commercial. It ticks all the boxes. It’s just not pop-tastic like Godard.

Le Bonheur is one of the most brilliantly deceptive films I’ve ever seen. All pretty, bucolic and soft and, by the end, despite never changing tone, utterly horrific. I love that kind of sleight of hand. 4/5 and 5/5 respectively.

How To Be Really Bad (Marco Petry, 2018) [Netflix]

The devil’s fourteen year old daughter is bored of doing evil on the internet, so she’s allowed into the real world on probation, tasked with corrupting one of the most pleasant girls in all of Germany. To be fair, this movie isn’t aimed at the likes of me. It’s for tweenies. I didn’t realise that until a few minutes in… But, in any case, despite a perfectly able cast, it’s very bland and predictable and felt like a pilot for a TV series. Far from horrible though. 2/5

Peppermint Soda (Diane Kurys, 1977) [Criterion]

1960s. Paris. All-girls school. Not much plot, very lowkey, but beautifully made and acted and one of the most authentic representations of childhood I can remember seeing. And because of that it has a universality to it. 4/5

[–] capuchin (3358) 3 years ago

Destroy All Monsters (Ishiro Honda, 1968) [Criterion]

I read afterwards on Letterboxd that this was intended to be the final film in the Godzilla franchise. Don’t know if that’s true, but it does have that feel to it. One last hoorah, throw absolutely everything at it, blow stuff up, and keep it moving, moving, moving so no-one has time to think about how stupid it is. Nine or ten films in, I thought we’d be deep into diminishing returns with this series, but this is probably the best of all the sequels. 4/5

All Monsters Attack (Ishiro Honda, 1969) [Criterion]

Me, approximately four seconds into the movie: ‘What the hell is this shit?’ The best of the sequels is followed by the worst of the sequels (so far). Aimed squarely - and exclusively at children… huge budget cut, leading to the reuse of footage from previous movies… Godzilla films finally slumped. The other five I plan to watch might be a struggle. 2/5

Luzzu (Alex Camilleri, 2021) [Mubi]

Alex Camilleri takes on the sexy subject of what EU regulations are doing to Maltese fishermen. He’s an able director, a better editor, but a horribly schematic writer – with pretty much every scene feeling like a way of getting from A to B to C, and the whole thing lacks drama. 2/5

La Parisienne (Michel Boisrond, 1957) [Criterion]

Brigitte Bardot wears a series of very fetching outfits while some sort of weak, disjointed allegedly comedic marital farce goes on. If food dropping on people’s heads is your kind of great humour, this is the movie for you. But I suspect it wasn’t very funny even in 1957, but audiences were there for the dresses. 2/5

The Golden Thread (Ritwik Ghatak, 1965) [Mubi]

Indian partition. Displaced people. Family melodrama. Some great camerawork. 4/5

[–] capuchin (3358) 3 years ago

Pity (Babis Makridis, 2018) [Mubi]

A man copes with his son while his wife is in a coma, and comes to enjoy other people’s pity. Then his wife wakes up, which makes him sad because he isn’t getting the pity. He needs the damn pity… This is very precisely made, but a little static and, despite its strange Greek New Weird premise, ultimately a little predictable. 3/5

Carnival of Sinners (Maurice Tourneur, 1943) [Criterion]

A struggling artist buys a hand in a box for one centime. The hand in a box will make him famous and brilliant. The catch is that he must sell it at a loss before he dies or the devil will take his soul. And, half-centimes are no longer legal tender. This is a brilliant way to spend 80 minutes. Loved it. 4/5

Hidden in the Fog (Lars-Eric Kjellman, 1953) [Netflix]

Apparently so similar – in some way or other – to Otto Preminger’s Laura (which I haven’t seen), they actually have to name-check Laura in the movie. But an entertaining crime story that ends up with the traditional suspects around the table while the detective explains whodunnit to them all. 3/5

Something Different (Vera Chytilova, 1963) [Criterion]

Two different stories interwoven. 1) A gymnast trains for her final competition. 2) A bored housewife, an affair… We inevitably compare and contrast the two lives… I have nothing intelligent to say about it. Not quite sure how it works so well as a single piece really, but it does. 4/5

---

Of yours, I've seen the Nightmare on Elm Street films. I haven't seen any of the sequels since I was a kid, but have seen the original a little more recently and --- shhhhh, don't say it loud -- but I don't like a single Wes Craven film I've ever seen. Not one. There's something about his style I just don't dig. Does nothing for me.

[–] StoneKeeper (28224) 3 years ago

Impressive, again.

North by northwest: managed to make me laugh while keeping me on the edge of my seat thanks to a fun story and great acting. 8.5/10

[–] FredBurroughs (22220) 3 years ago

Moshi moshi, StoneKeeper-san. What a week it's been!

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - It's a little stiff compared to how the series eventually would take shape, but it still holds a spot as a major genre influencer. 7

Nightmare on Elm Street 2 (1985) - Hollow cash-grab sequel. Freddy doesn't even get revenge on anyone! 5

Nightmare on Elm Street 3 (1987) - Definitely one of the better Elm Street entries. It introduces a new direction and arguable the most creative kills in the series. 6.5

The Dead Don't Die (2019) - Excruciatingly dull and bereft of actual gags. Did someone force Jim Jarmusch to make this? 4

The Rock (1996) - Michael Bay's finest film, full stop. A well-oiled machine of action bravado with some clever narrative touches. 8.5

The Bouncer (2018) - I dig it whenever JCVD goes with more intimate character pieces. 7

My viewings:

The Tragedy of MacBeth (2021) - A starkly beautiful production of the classic play. Impeccable performances and imagery that lingered in my mind long afterward. 9

Jon Benjamin Has a Van (TV) - I was finally able to watch this show I've been seeking out for years, and I found myself gobbling up all ten episodes. Each show starts out as a typical local news report before gradually twisting into an absurd shaggy dog story. Great stuff. 8

Peacemaker (TV) - Crass, violent, silly, masterfully crafted schlock. Was not prepared to enjoy it as much as I did. 8

Dexter New Blood (Finale) - A couple stumbles for this limited series, but at long last the book of Dexter closes with a fitting sendoff. 7

Filibus (1915) - Every so often I find myself viewing a silent film and marveling at its imagination and inventiveness, to dream the impossible and manifest it as a motion picture. Something like this made today would have a lot more suggestive undertones. 6.5

Shadow in the Cloud (2020) - Speaking of which, here we have it. This movie takes some huge swings, but ultimately I had to appreciate its audaciousness. It's also barely 80 minutes, which lends a snappy brisk quality. 6.5

Babes in Toyland (1986) - Drew Barrymore and Keanu in a TV Christmas flick is enough to make you stand up and sing: "C-I-N-C-I-N-N-A-T-I, Cincinnati! The best town in O-H-I-O, Ohio, USA! At first they called it Cincy, but since Cincy is so natty, they named it Cincinnati, so they say." Chintsy yet charming. 6

The Quiet Duel (1949) - Hadn't revisited this one in a while, but it's an effective melodrama from Kurosawa. 7

Danger Zone (1996) - This is basically the movie-within-a-movie that was being made in Tropic Thunder - complete with Robert Downey Jr. doing a ridiculous over the top accent. This movie reeks of cocaine and tax fraud, so ten year-old me would have certainly tuned into this on a Saturday afternoon. 6

And then... I saw something amazing. Perhaps you'll hear about it elsewhere. ;-)

[–] diezman (2232) 3 years ago

[deleted]

[–] StoneKeeper (28224) 3 years ago

None of yours this week.

[–] MovieManCin2 (26342) 3 years ago

Grand Canyon - 1991

This is a Lawrence Kasden film. It starts with Kevin Klein's character being threatened by a carload of black thugs after his car breaks down. He is then "rescued" by tow truck driver Danny Glover. After that it sort of meanders, and I really couldn't detect if there was a point to the film. I give it a 6.

😎

[–] StoneKeeper (28224) 3 years ago

Hum 🤔

[–] MovieManCin2 (26342) 3 years ago

Yes. I was disappointed.

🤨

[–] [deleted] 3 years ago

that is one of the few movies i would point to and say 'i hate that.'

i don't hate many things. but holy cow did i hate that movie.

that said, it's been a good 25 yrs. maybe i'd feel differently now. i'm almost interested to see how i'd feel now if i were to watch it again. my memory fills me with contempt. would the tired middle aged me see something in it the mopey 20 something didn't?

[–] MovieManCin2 (26342) 3 years ago

I didn't hate it, but I certainly did NOT like it!

😎

[–] MovieManCin2 (26342) 3 years ago

I also watched Quick Change a 1990 film about three bank robbers played by Bill Murray, Geena Davis
and Randy Quaid. It's one of the few Bill Murray movies which was only mildly amusing. I give it a 6 also.

😎

[–] StoneKeeper (28224) 3 years ago

That makes 2 90’s 90 minutes flicks with cool casts that I had never heard of. From your review, I’m not missing much.

[–] MovieManCin2 (26342) 3 years ago

No, you are not.

😎

[–] Mysterious6666 (10) 3 years ago

I didn't watch too many things because of work but I watched Becky. I absolutely love that movie.

[–] MovieManCin2 (26342) 3 years ago

Hmmm, interesting. It's rated a mediocre 5.9 on IMDb.

🤨

[–] Mysterious6666 (10) 3 years ago

Just because it was rated mediocre on IMDb, doesn't means its actually mediocre or bad

[–] MovieManCin2 (26342) 3 years ago

But it's a very good indication of being mediocre. And I don't have the time for mediocre movies.

🤨

[–] StoneKeeper (28224) 3 years ago

I’d sure watch it!