What did you watch this week partner? (07/02-07/08) CLOSED

Hi!

Of yours:
Crazy Rich Asians 9/10
Spring 7/10
Finding Nemo 8/10
Velocipastor 7/10
Warlock 7/10

My week:
Aliens (1986) 10/10
A sequel that I like just as much as the original. Kick ass characters, some great one liners, and the biggest thing for me is that I've watched this movie more times than I can remember since it came out and I never get sick of it.

Blue Crush (2002) 6/10
I can't ever decide if I like this movie or not. I've seen it a few times and I still can't make up my mind, so obviously there is something here that I like. I just don't entirely know what it is.

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018) 8/10
I really liked this so I thought I would watch it again, and I still really like it. In fact I upped my rating a bit. I still got chills in a few parts, and I think this is really, really well done. There is great tension building that doesn't really let up. The plot isn't anything new. It does have a similar premise to Grave Encounters, which was just a rehash of the numerous ghost hunting shows. With the updated technology, this one looks really slick. I wished they would have used the drone more. The movie does lose me in the last 20 minutes or so, as it becomes much more run of the mill, and I wasn't a fan of what they did with Ji-Hyun. It just made it feel like it was "a movie" to me. I do think this is a super fun, and creepy watch if you are a fan of Found Footage movies, and it's one that I will probably watch again.

The Towering Inferno (1974) 8/10
I love this movie. It may not be the best 70s disaster movie but I do think it's the enjoyable to watch. It's absolutely over the top in all ways. The cast, the run time, the ridiculousness, the sets, the explosions, OJ's security board, the machismo, and the plot. It all just seems so extravagant, and I'm here for it, and return to it at least every couple of years.

Space Truckers (1996) 6.5/10
I know I rented this (yes from an actual video store) when this came out, but I couldn't remember anything about it other than knowing Stephen Dorff was in it. It's certainly a Stuart Gordon film that's for sure. Not my favourite of his, but still a mostly enjoyable watch.

Automata (2014) 6/10
Interesting concept here. The actual story was a bit of a mishmash of other stories. It was well acted, but it did drag. It could have been about 30 minutes shorter. I did enjoy the score, and Antonio. I mean I didn't hate it or anything, I just wanted something a little more. For a movie about robots wanting life, it was a little soulless.

Cocaine Bear (2023) 8/10
I had no expectations for this going into it. I thought it was a blast. Granted, I turned off two really horrible movies on Tubi before I finally settled on this one, but I had fun and actually laughed out loud, which is something that rarely happens when watching a movie.

Meatballs (1979) 6/10
It had been a hot minute since I watched this film. I really had forgotten most of it. It was a lot sweeter than I remembered. Not the greatest movie out there, but still an enjoyable watch.

Last Seen Alive (2022) 6/10
Did I start to enjoy this a little more once I found out that Butler improvised everything? Maybe. It was a very straight forward plot that we've all seen before, but it still was mildly interesting and not the most horrible way to spend a couple of hours. I don't think I would recommend it, nor would I watch it again, but I'm not mad that I watched it.

Butterfly Kisses (2018) 9/10
I had to up my rating this time. I'm not quite sure it's a 9 out of 10, but it's more than an 8. It's a really well done FF that's slightly meta without being stupid about it. It's not really scary, but it's interesting right from the start.

It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) 7/10
The scene in the train yard was great. Really enjoyable watch.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003): Decide to rewatch it again after a while. Movie is still exciting after all these years. I remembered how stunning Kristanna Loken as the T-X was. Made me think about the nature of AI and robotics again. 8/10. (To do list: rewatch the previous two Terminator films and compare with 3.)

Howdy partner!

Man of the house 6/10
Crazy rich Asians 7/10
Finding Nemo 8/10
The VelociPastor 8/10
Warlock 6/10

I was on vacation this week and I watched:

Pitfall 1948 7/10 This was a pretty good film noir.

Asteroid City 2023 8/10 Wes Anderson being Wes Anderson in the most Wes Anderson way possible.

Cannibal Holocaust 1980 7/10 This was brutal, but wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. For the most part, this is effective and works pretty well. I didn't like the animal cruelty and felt it was unnecessary and excessive. As disturbing as the film is, there is definitely significant artistic merit here.

It 1927 7/10 Clara Bow is delightful and the film has some cute, humorous moments.

The Public Enemy 1931 8/10 An interesting story with a good performance from James Cagney.

5 Centimeters per Second 2007 6/10 I liked the animation, but the story wasn't that interesting.

The Last Emperor 1987 6/10 Cinematography, costumes and sets were very good. The first half of the film was a lot better than the second half but the film felt a little too long.

L’Avventura 1960 6/10 This is beautifully filmed and the performances are fine, but I didn't find the story very engaging or compelling.

Allegro Non Troppo 1976 8/10 Cool blend of animation and music.

Braindead 1992 5/10 I thought this was too gory and it was just being icky and gross for the sake of it. I want more in a film than just gore. There were a couple moderately amusing scenes, but I didn't find it that funny or entertaining. It also felt longer than it was and I wasn't impressed with most of the performances.

Portrait of Jennie 1948 7/10 Lovely performances in this beautiful and romantic story.

The City of Lost Children 1995 7/10 Interesting visuals and a wonderful performance from Judith Vittet elevate the film.

The Abyss 1989 7/10 Great cinematography and impressive visual effects, but the screenplay is a little weak.

continued in next post...

Warlock II and Warlock III are on Tubi. I haven’t seen either but they could be future MC Movie Night contenders.

I have just watched the new wait for me film- my rating is 9/10 I won't write too much about it but it's a great little independent film that has been directed brilliantly, it had me gripped the whole way through if your looking for something different to watch its avaliable to buy online https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wait-Me-Karen-Hassan/dp/B0C6X7TF52/ref=sr_1_1?crid=36VVER63HER1P

Welcome to Mooseport.

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Howdy, Pard!

Man of the House (1995) - Definitely one of the lower tiered "kids menacing grown-ups" movies of the decade. 5

Spring (2014) - It's a metaphor about how relationships can change a person. 8.5

Finding Nemo (2003) - No wonder it's shown in film classes - this movie is an example of night-perfect story structure. 8

The VelociPastor (2018) - Some inspired scenes/gags interspersed with too many stretches of circular exposition and transparent time-eating scenes. A great kernel of an idea that needed its makers to apply a more studious eye to Troma movies to capture a higher level of gonzo insanity. 6

Dog Eat Dog (2016) - Messy but enjoyable is pretty spot-on. Even though Cage reliably brings his signature level of intensity and commitment, I could watch and entire movie about Willem Dafoe's character and his special knife he uses to gut fish. 6.5

Warlock (1989) - A very inventive self-contained time travel chase thriller with a genre bent... hmm, where have I seen something like this before? Clear inspirations aside, there isn't a real consistent justification for Lori Singer's character being along for the ride. Still, the special/visual effects (apart from a couple rough matte shots) hold up splendidly in service of a fun action horror romp. 7

New watches this week:

The Eric Andre Show Season 6 (2023 TV) - The talk show from hell returns with another inspired round of studio interviews and outrageous hidden camera bits. It doesn't introduce anything new to the series' established format, but it does deliver plenty of laughs. Also, you cannot spell 'American Dream' without 'Eric Andre'. 7.5

Zero Fucks Given (2021 - sometimes noted as 2022) - It's always a little annoying when a movie has an ambiguous release year, but if there ever was an appropriate situation of ambiguity, it's this one. It encapsulates a specific point in time and a highly precarious environment for the main character. I'd go so far as to say this uses a lot of New Wave filming conventions with modern day digital cameras, which is probably why the movie feels classic yet fresh. 8

The ButterCream Gang (1992) - If it hasn't already, this movie is probably going to get a lot of attention; you can find a whole copy on archive.org at the moment. There's a lot to unpack about this movie, but it's absolutely amazing. This movie was no doubt shown in *particular* schools, and I expect an adult paused the tape every 7 to 10 minutes and asked the kids: "What lesson does this scene teach? What do you think is going to happen to this character? Which bible passage?" Maybe a worksheet or two was passed around. This would make an excellent double WTF double feature with Tina and the Professor (1995). 7

Big Wednesday (1978) - Not as good a beach movie as Lifeguard (1976) but still suitably serviceable. 6.5

Too Young to Die (1969) - I wonder if George Lucas had seen this movie before making Star Wars because a lot of the car scenes look stellar. 7.5

Greetings StoneKeeper!!


Beanpole (2019) 7/10
Two Soviet female soldiers survive the war and then try to rebuild their lives. Pretty dark depiction of life in Stalingrad after it and it’s occupants had been ravaged by war. Very nicely filmed with great performances.

Warlock (1989) 6/10
A time traveling warlock tries to destroy the world in the 80s. A decent enough time travel story with the ultra cool blonde ponytail wearing Julian Sands as our villain.

Tragic Ceremony (1972) 7/10
Four friends witness sacrificial murder and are confused afterward. Really nice to see a young Camille Keaton here in this gothic horror. This one has a bit of a Manson cult vibe going on and has some great impressive scenes, but with a really draggy middle section.

The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972) 7/10
Two sisters inherit a Castle with a murderous past. It’s hard to go wrong here with Barbra Bouchet and a young Sybil Danning in the cast. Somehow 1972 is a major sweet spot for gialli.