Last movie you watched ?

Akira Kurosawa's Rashomon (1950). Basically, the entire movie was three or four different stories about the same murder event from three or four different perspectives when each of them are contradictory. Last movie of his I watched was Stray Dog (1949). Rashomon does not hold a candle to it, IMO.

The last movie that I watched was Fast and Furious 9. The platform that I used to watch movies on is the <a href="https://telelatino.com.co/">Tele Latino Android app</a>. It is one of the best apps for entertainment.

Nosferatu 2024

5/10

I expected more. Really didn't like these drawn out jump scares coming from a mile away. Cinema today lacks great score. I still have Bram Stockers Draculas theme in my head. That latest vampire flick is unremarkable in this regard.

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

Damn good fun!

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

With bombastic, loud music playing over the opening credits, I sensed it was gonna be fun. Seriously, those opening credits, plain white text on black, were so cool. Four lead by Robert Shaw (Jaws, From Russia with Love, The Sting) take a New York City train car and its eighteen passengers hostage for 1 million dollars. On the other side, transit chief in the command center played by Walter Matthau. After the first hour, I realized that it's to a large degree actually DIE HARD. The humor and playfulness is there through the scary ordeal, and the many different characters. (Mayor gets the money together, but plot doesn't know what to do with him after that. To be honest, could have written him out.) But it's played more straight, doesn't have the excessive comical incompetence and clumsiness of the police and media in Die Hard and "I shot a kid"-type cheese, doesn't let its pacing get dragged down by those side characters like all the time away from John McClain in Die Hard. Ending satisfied too.

Been binging on rewatching some classics recently.

Persona

Probably my favorite Ingmar Bergman film. I find a lot of his movies a bit too existential and dreary for my tastes, but Persona is the one that hits the sweet spot for me with his typical themes while being accessible. While this film is a completely different beast, I find it having similar themes and psychological tones to Lynch's Mulholland Drive.

The French Connection

Quintessential crime thriller starring Gene Hackman. Since Hackman's passing I was inclined to pop in at least something, so I chose this one. I like the gritty French New Wave inspiration and the car/train chase is still one of the best. Still just as good as I remember.

Paper Moon

I adore this film so much. Paper Moon is the type of movie I can put on any time and it will cheer me up. Tatum and Ryan O'Neil have impeccable chemistry in this film, in stark contrast to how their chemistry was in real life. Either way Paper Moon is one of my favorite movies and it's one of those sleeper classics more people ought'ta know about.

Ace in the Hole

Can't say I ever disliked a Billy Wilder film and Ace in the Hole is no exception. Impeccably made film about media sensationalism and the way journalists can exploit a story for their own notoriety. Kirk Douglas plays a journalist obsessing over creating a sensational news story. He pushes things too far to the point of irreparable consequences, and that's in essence what Ace in the Hole is about. Fabulous movie.

Kiss Me Deadly

First time watching this one. Pretty standard film noir from the 1950's, with a mystical twist to it. Seems like this is the movie Quentin Tarantino decided to rip off with the suitcase in Pulp Fiction, because Kiss Me Deadly does the same exact thing. Overall though, good noir flick; not my favorite one in the world, but worth a watch.

A Real Pain

I watched this one out of curiosity, after Kieran Culkin won Best Supporting Actor at the most recent Oscars. I'm a bit confused how he won Best Supporting Actor, because he felt an awful lot like the lead performance here.

Anyhow, I feel like this is the kind of movie I can put on when I'm having a bad day, or a bad week, and the kind of film that feels reflective and insightful over how lucky our lives really are, even when we forget about this and take everything for granted.

Two cousins take a trip to Poland, with a holocaust tour and trip to their late grandmother's home on their itinerary, and some extra baggage on their shoulders. On this trip Culkin's character reveals complex emotional scars beneath his otherwise radiant personality.

At one point this character lights up the room and then the next moment he's in tears over things that everyone else struggle to understand. Overall his manic outbursts challenge and give insight to the other characters, getting others to think about their own values in this world.

I enjoyed the film a lot, and like I say I'll enjoy this on those gloomy days. A Real Pain can feel therapeutic and if you're looking for that rainy day kinda film, this one is a solid recommendation.

Project A and Project A II (1983 and '87) Hong Hong theatrical cuts in Cantonese.

I thought I'd have something else to say about my 31st and 32nd Jackie Chan movies, but I really don't. Once again the fights and stunts (Actors will never suffer like Chan for the camera again.) are great and the stories are crappy, all over the place, kinda boring. A frustrating actor. PA1 has Sammo Hung, PA2 loses him, but at least has the cute Maggie Cheung.

PA1 is the one with the bicycle chase.

Ripping these UHDs, I noted...

Project A

Track 1 in the M2TS structure is actually Mandarin, not Cantonese. They're swapped.

Project A II

The original mono (track 1) is too muffled. Sounds terrible. Remixed mono (track 2) and Japanese Cantonese mix (track 3) are good.

I heard another set of very quiet voices underneath the Atmos. Lol. They just dubbed on top of some mix. Would never watch such movies with Atmos anyway.

Mickey 17

As a fan of Bong Joon-Ho, I was looking forward to this one. Overall I found it to be one of his lesser works and definitely a step down from his previous work that was masterfully done, Parasite. I think Mickey 17 is still watchable and worth checking out if you're a fan of his work, but don't expect it to be like his previous film, or Memories of Murder. It's more in line with something like Snowpiercer, but I think Snowpiercer is the superior film.

Overall the biggest issue with the film was it didn't seem to have a defined focus. It felt like it was throwing a lot of ideas at the wall just to see which ones stick - some things landed better than others, while some of the things that didn't work left a weird aftertaste. Considering this was a studio film, I can't help but think some meddling took place.

You get a lot of Bong Joon-Ho's trademarks: his interest in the social commentary of class hierarchies, but overall there was just too many ideas and a lack of focus.

The standout was Robert Pattinson's performance. He had a lot to pull through with playing multiple versions of himself, and he definitely put on his best effort. Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette play cartoonish villains. Overall the movie felt very cartoonish so I guess having villains like this is fine, but I wish there was more depth to some of these characters so they could feel more threatening and believable. There was a section in the movie where Ruffalo's character threatens to blow up the Mickey's, but never once did I believe he would pull through with it because he was too dumb to feel threatening at all.

But hey the movie is fine. Check it out on rental if you need. Weaker Bong Joon-Ho effort but average if it was not standing alongside the better works from this director.

Trap

Stupid, stupid, stupid movie, but that comes with no surprise from a director like M. Night Shyamalan. Wasn't my choice to watch this one, and I would have never bothered if someone else wasn't making the choice in what to watch.

The nicest thing I can say is the premise of a serial killer being cornered by the authorities at a highly crowded venue of a music concert, sounds like a recipe for a fun little thriller, but the execution was beyond dumb.

Like who does this serial killer think he is, a magician? Because he sure seemed like one. Too many points in the movie he's done things that he ultimately got away with that and I couldn't help but think how hundreds and thousands of people condensed in one space don't bare witness.

There's a moment where he pushes a woman down stairs, surrounded by so many people including the FBI, nobody notices. Later in the movie he kidnaps a woman and gets away in a limousine, he eventually gets stopped at a nightlife district by hundreds of people, the feds show up with guns pointed at the driver seat, and magically he slips out of the limo and integrates into the crowd with a wardrobe change, and nobody notices. They made this character seem "clever" by dumbing down virtually everyone else in the movie.

Speaking of the authorities, they're supposed to be on high security yet every time this guy mingles with them they turn a blind eye. High security for everyone else at this venue and play dumb when the killer is in their hands. Such ridiculous logic through the entire movie.

M. Night Shyamalan might make some of the dumbest movies in Hollywood. So with that said, if you like to watch dumb movies just to laugh at them, oh boy have I got just the one for you.

@jaydan: How about if he wore a ninja suit the whole time. Would that make sense?

@DEVILinIRON: I love that idea. A ninja suit would make perfect sense for turning it into a comedy. What better way to avoid detection at a concert full of teenage girls than a full-grown man dressing like a Mortal Kombat character? Imagine him trying to slip through the crowd while glitter-covered fans take selfies with him, thinking he's part of the show. Meanwhile, the FBI functioning at peak Muppet buffoonery -- losing their minds trying to figure out where this guy is despite surveillance cameras covering every square inch of this venue.

Meanwhile, he’s literally just crouching behind a merch table, completely within their view, while the agents tackle the innocent merch booth guy next to him instead. The only reason he does get [almost] caught, as tensions and awareness rise, is because some fan posts a blurry pic of him on Twitter with the caption "is this the killer?? LMAO", and the FBI finally check social media six hours later, and then raid the wrong house allowing the killer to make his getaway.

Honestly, this movie is writing itself. Somebody get a studio on the phone before Shyamalan decides the real twist is that the FBI agents were ancient aliens the whole time.

Romancing the Stone and The Jewel of the Nile (1984 and '85)

3/5 both.

First movie had too many coincidences, second movie was so contrived, with the Kathleen Turner novelist character asked to write a biography about the false prophet of a fake Middle-Eastern/North African religion. Neither really had good action scenes. Lots of white guys painted as brown people in the second one. But Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner were a fun pair. They liked each other, which is probably why later they were in that movie directed by their costar Danny DeVito, War of the Roses. I like these movies.

Remember finding the F-16 fighter jet driving scene so cool as a kid... "I'm out of quarters."

As the couple hung over the pit while the rats and acid ate their ropes, I thought about Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher and how dumb video game stories are. Uncharted, with its couple that stays together as opposed to Indiana Jones, can't even be like these movies, can't have such moments between lovers, because the constant shooting and climbing around like monkeys can't be interrupted for too long. Train scene also made me think of Uncharted 2 and how such scenes are typically so long in games that they lose their impact. Would never try to copy movies if I made games. Not in this way.

Not sad the second movie's critical reception killed any prospects for a third one, because it ends with them getting married, and a third movie was just gonna cycle through the same beats again, find some lame excuse to bring Danny DeVito back, and the third Indiana Jones was boring and pathetic anyway.

@warm_gun: WAT, INIDIANA JONES 3 WAS GOOD!

Wow. Freaking wow.

This takes me back. I loved this movie as a kid.

Back in the ol' cable TV days a lot of channels would run marathons on holidays and stuff. I remember this one popping up around Halloween season and I loved it.

I haven't seen it since, though.

The practical effects were real labors of love, and the whole tone of the movie was just eerie even a little 12 year old like me could sort of grasp "Hey, even though it's kind of corny, this movie is really deep".

No. I didn't even watch it the last time. Better the one-two punch of Raiders and Doom, than to deflate them with the lame, cowardly Crusade.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

tl/dr

:3/5:

More a criticism than a review. I don't do real reviews anyway.

[spoiler]

Sadly, even worse than I remember. Even more a retread than I remember. There's nothing truly thrilling for me in this movie. Not a single set-piece pumped me up like the previous movies. The movie just leaves me feeling kind of deflated. George Lucas didn't have an awesome idea with this one, so he just repeated some stuff from the first one, perhaps as an overreaction to Doom's reception.

Raiders: Jones has to pick up the trail of his old teacher (who was after the treasure), who disappeared.

Last Crusade: Jones has to pick up the trail of his father (who was after the treasure), who disappeared.

Raiders: French collector of relics uses Nazis to get his treasure.

Last Crusade: American collector of relics uses Nazis to get his treasure.

Other more obvious similarities that I won't mention.

The introduction with young Indy doesn't do much for me, because I personally don't care about how he became Indy. It does set up the relationship with his father nicely, but that's about it.

The search feels more convoluted and unbelievable this time. I didn't even understand the mental leap he made in the library. The Wikipedia contributor who skipped to the part where they go underneath apparently didn't either. Why does the floor look so different between these shots? I thought for a second when they were down there that the numeral was supposed to be a shadow.

[IMG]https://i.ibb.co/jgvjVsB/Indiana-Jones-and-the-Last-Crusade-1989-Steven-Spielberg-Paramount-UHD-DV-mkv-snapshot-00-29-01.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://i.ibb.co/y45ZgbY/Indiana-Jones-and-the-Last-Crusade-1989-Steven-Spielberg-Paramount-UHD-DV-mkv-snapshot-00-29-57.jpg[/IMG]

Jones tells whatshername that the water under the library is full of petroleum. Then he lights a torch. Isn't he at all worried about any of the lit petroleum dripping off the torch?

[IMG]https://i.ibb.co/Q9Bf8M9/Indiana-Jones-and-the-Last-Crusade-1989-Steven-Spielberg-Paramount-UHD-DV-mkv-snapshot-00-34-17-806.jpg[/IMG]

Like it does profusely in this shot? Later, the whole place goes up in flames by someone else's action.

How did that member of the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword know that Jones' father was being held in the Castle of Brunwald? That brotherhood is unbelievable too. So they've been passing their knowledge down in secret for eight centuries. Doing mostly nothing in all that time, for only a fraction of that time would have people looking for the grail. I think they'd just get bored.

Later, Jones Sr. tells his son that they have to go to Berlin because he can't remember three lines of text that he wrote into a book that he left there. Three lines of text. They go there partly so that Jones Jr. can meet one of the worst physical impressions of Adolf Hitler.

[IMG]http://i.ibb.co/VQ0B8Sp/Indiana-Jones-and-the-Last-Crusade-1989-Steven-Spielberg-Paramount-UHD-DV-mkv-snapshot-01-10-11.jpg[/IMG]

Also, very coincidental that he meets Elsa Schneider there in a huge crowd. She's easily the blandest of all the love interests in Indiana Jones.

I can't stomach the humor. The librarian who stamps his books while Jones hammers the floor. Jones Sr. asking what happens at eleven o'clock. Jones with his bad Scottish accent. Marcus Brody being much more a bumbling fool than he was in Raiders. The fighter pilot checking out the Jones' ride. This ridiculous bow:

[IMG]https://i.ibb.co/dGZq5q0/Indiana-Jones-and-the-Last-Crusade-1989-Steven-Spielberg-Paramount-UHD-DV-mkv-snapshot-00-55-28-259.jpg[/IMG]

Connery's grey beard doesn't hide that he is almost in the same age group as Ford. I have to commend him for presumably getting through college as a teen parent.

[IMG]https://i.ibb.co/wg5PQyw/Indiana-Jones-and-the-Last-Crusade-1989-Steven-Spielberg-Paramount-UHD-DV-mkv-snapshot-01-58-07.jpg[/IMG]

A knight has been with the grail for seven hundred years. How did he not go mad? That whole story stretches my suspension of disbelief farther than anything in the prior movies. What is his reaction after Jones tells him that he has been there for so long? Not shock or sadness or any kind of believable human emotion.

[IMG]https://i.ibb.co/vQYdfLG/Indiana-Jones-and-the-Last-Crusade-1989-Steven-Spielberg-Paramount-UHD-DV-mkv-snapshot-01-50-05.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]https://i.ibb.co/zZhN7fy/Indiana-Jones-and-the-Last-Crusade-1989-Steven-Spielberg-Paramount-UHD-DV-mkv-snapshot-01-50-06.jpg[/IMG]

I much preferred the magic in Indiana Jones being more incorporeal.

One of the three sentences that Jones Sr. couldn't remember was about the word of God, but that trial is stupid. Someone could just throw a ladder or something over all the wrong letters and then walk across.

Maybe someone familiar with WWII planes can tell me if the pattern of the fighter's fire makes sense.

[IMG]https://i.ibb.co/S5dYW5g/Indiana-Jones-and-the-Last-Crusade-1989-Steven-Spielberg-Paramount-UHD-DV-HDD-mkv-snapshot-01-19-17.jpg[/IMG]

The clouds are where the bullets land and the main body of the plane is where the bullets come from.

If Jones Jr.'s plan was to have the Nazis chase the boat, why didn't he wait until he heard their motor?

[IMG]https://i.ibb.co/LJnbbG6/Indiana-Jones-and-the-Last-Crusade-1989-Steven-Spielberg-Paramount-UHD-DV-mkv-snapshot-01-03-16-548.jpg[/IMG]

Jones puts a rock into the end of a canon, which causes it to turn into a flower when shot. A boat slowly gets shredded by a ship propeller, yet remains steady, as Jones interrogates his assailant. I know Indiana Jones was always cartoony, but this movie took it to a new level.

The temple they look for would be easy to find by anyone living in the region. The hostile brotherhood near there would only make people more curious and aggressive. Raiders of the Lost Ark and Temple of Doom had the benefit of burying the treasures that the bad guys were looking for. It doesn't have this Uncharted level of logic of plainly visible, easy to find ancient ruins.

At least the son and father's estranged relationship is well done and pays off in the end, with Indy choosing his father over the cup. Not a bad movie. Decent. But not really good and certainly overrated. [/spoiler]

The stupid:

-Marcus Brody and Sallah from Raiders being turned into bumbling fools and comic reliefs.

-The German's ridiculous bow to Brody.

-The pilot checking out the Jones's ride as his fighter plane skids through the tunnel.

-The bullets coming out of the nose of the fighter plane yet hitting parallel to the sides of the car the Jones are driving.

-The Jones not waiting for the Germans to just leave on their boats before appearing on their motorcycle.

-The boat somehow remaining still as the ship propeller shreds it and Indy interrogates the protector of the grail.

-The protector clan somehow not getting bored protecting the grail for hundreds and hundreds of years and no forces in the region ever being curious about the area and just removing them.

-The last crusader remaining in that cave for seven hundred (?) years without losing his mind and still able to remain so collected when seeing the first human beings. His response is simply, "A long time to wait." C'mon.

-Indy taking a dripping torch into an underground catacomb full of fuel that only lights up when the bad guys try to burn them out.

-A small lodged rock transforming the tank cannon into a flower shape.

-Jones Sr. forgetting two lines of text only so that they can go to Berlin and meet in a huge crowd not only Elsa but also a bad impression of Hitler. (More jokes!)

-Indy becoming this master of disguise (Ticket checker, Scottish tourist interested in tapestries, officer/soldier.) and turning every encounter into a joke rather than just kill like he used to.

-God not thinking that someone might just place a ladder over the wide gap after the first two traps (which are disabled after Indy goes through them).

-Giving Indy his whip, scar, hat and mission in life in a half hour of his childhood.

The dull:

-Starting the movie with a prolonged childhood scene and then taking so long for the film to really get underway.

-Using the same setup as Raiders to begin the movie: someone losing contact with a person dear to Indy, who was searching for the Christian/Jewish artifact.

-Corporealizing with the knight what used to be only magical in the first two movies.

-The heavy globetrotting.

-Taking James Bond's mystery by giving him a childhood and a father to argue with...

Also, Ford and Connery looked more like brothers or cousins than son and father. Ford said it was strange to pretend because he was only a few years younger. They are both from the silent generation. How did Jones Sr. manage to get a professor's degree while raising a kid as a teenager himself?

Maniac Cop. Fun to watch this again!

Ive been meaning to watch this one.

Only saw it a few weeks back, went in expecting some Night Of The Living Dead clone type thing, very wrong.

Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru (1952). A movie about a civil servant, who was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, and decided since he wasted his life with bureaucracy he has a chance to do something that he actually likes... 8 out of 10...

Let's rip off the theme to Once Upon A Time In The West and make an unironically great Chuck Norris action movie.

Blankman

I recently saw In Living Color where Damien Wayans played Handi-boy. I never watched In Living Color growing up though can see why a Handi-man movie wouldn't have worked on the big screen. Blankman is alright though David Allen Grier are Damien Wayans are hilarious playing off each other. I did enjoy the movie though especially when Damien screams like a girl after being hit in the alley. 8/10

The Thing (1982)

Nice practical effects, it still looks pretty good

Haven't seen this since I was 7 years old. It still scares me the children in the morgue that are demons. Phyliss Diller is hilarious in this movie especially her dog who both turn into zombies. It will give the movie credit for using puppets for the demons and the giant poodle and Phyliss Diller. Hilarious movie now though as a kid it scared me. Its on Youtube and Pluto TV. 8/10

@pillarrocks: Sounds good, now I want to see it. Wow, Mr Roper's in it

Just watched They Live, not bad. Keith David is always good, and good performance from Roddy Piper. RIP

Put on the glasses lol ah that was so good

I like the idea of this movie very much, where humanity has been almost entirely erased, with the one who first came into contact with the tet (tit) turned into factory line drone only to learn about humanity through the remnants left, (knowledge) to became human again.

It feels overly Hollywood and Tom Cruise is just Tom Cruise in practically every movie. And he's in a crazy space cult that does exactly what the machine in the movie does, iwonically.

Not bad just could have been a shit ton better.

Superhero Movie

Pretty much a straight parody of Spiderman and other superhero movies which isn't bad. Christopher Mcdonald is hilarious as Lou Landers/Hourglass. I never seen him in anything else than Happy Gilmore. Leslie Nielson is hilarious as Albert. Surprised to see how young Kevin Hart was in this movie. Drake Bell is hilarious as Dragonfly. 7/10

An Italian film called Alaska...really great movie

eXistenZ. They should make a game of this!

Wrongfully Accused

I like Leslie Nielson though he's definitely the only thing good about this movie. I remember seeing this at a $1 theater as a kid and feeling disappointed. It like a parody of The Fugitive and US Marshalls though not as hilarious. I did laugh at a few parts when Leslie Nielson is on the run from the law. 6/10

Class of 1984. Haven’t seen this movie since it first came out in the 80’s,great movie. Michael J Fox earlier performances,he was really young in this movie. Apparently it’s a true story.

@brimmul777: Man I love that movie! (lol @ a true story, this movie keeps getting better)

Don't forget to watch Class of 1999 and Class of 1999 II: The Substitute

Pretty terrible but still ridiculous and fun to watch

Virtuosity

Didn't know Zuckerbot was in this movie

90s sci fi movies are really weird! Russel Crowe is going bananas in this movie

@girlusocrazy:His first big movie.

I watched Wild at Heart

Definitely an unconventional love story. A lot of out there characters. It had a Jack Nance bit that really made me laugh. A good Crispin Glover bit too. I got a kick out of that "Up in Flames" song. The mom in that movie was just her own biggest problem. The two people on the floor looking around for a hand and the dog ran off with it was weird and funny.

RIP David Lynch & Jack Nance

From the last couple days

V for Vendetta

Fist of Fury, aka The Chinese Connection

Life Stinks

Mel Brooks is really great as Goddard Bolt, a man who makes a bet with Vance Crasswell(Jeffrey Tambor) that he can't last being homeless for 30 days. Really shows the realities of being homeless with comedic results with Mel Brooks. 10/10