I’m not talking about wit and charisma, I’m talking about a basic ability to speak lines of dialog, which MacGregor lacked. Don’t get me wrong - his fight moves were terrific. He would have made a great stuntman, just so long as we don’t have to hear him talk, or watch him emote.
How about I amend my opening comment, thusly: Road House is fantastic compared to what I was expecting. Your comments are spot on; think how bad it could have been. >shudder<
Unfortunately, Conor was actually hired to act in a movie.
Saw Dream Scenario, a sort of surrealist horror comedy featuring Nicholas Cage in peak form.
What a weird fucking movie. I really liked it. The opening scene set the tone and I felt the conclusion was more or less inevitable. The execution was creepy as all hell despite being mostly bloodless. Cage’s character was pathetic but relatable enough that you didn’t want to see him destroy his own life.
I wish more films took these kinds of creative risks.
Was it perfect? No. But it was unlike anything I’ve seen in a while.
I’m still ruminating on the themes. A Boomer cautionary tale? A meditation on social media and cancel culture? Investigation of Freudian ideas of the subconscious? There’s a lot to unpack.
Mostly forgotten by me in the 5 months since I saw it. I mean, it was fine, but I don’t ever think about it.
I forget all films within about a month of seeing them so I’ll probably forget this one too.
Really? Impactful movies really stay with me. I saw Hereditary years ago and still think about it sometimes. Just an example.
Saw The Fall Guy last Friday and, to the point of the current conversation flow, about 24 hours I began a sentence with “another thing about that movie last night”, and Inna had to be reminded that we saw TFG the night before.
Tbf, it would have benefited from 15 minutes being cut out.
I’m exaggerating, but yes, I forget a lot of films. And books. A few movies in my life have left me with an enduring emotional impression and I can generally remember the emotional impression, but not the details of the film. For example, I remember being so disturbed by Pan’s Labyrinth I had to leave the theater twice, I remember literally standing up and pumping my fist the first time I saw The Graduate and got to that perfect ending. I remember that feeling of exhilaration. I remember my nausea at the end of Ex Machina. Today, I couldn’t tell you much about the plots of any those movies. (I guess I remember endings?)
In fact, I recently saw A Beautiful Mind again, which I would consider an okay film. I remembered so little of it that I completely forgot the big twist.
Somewhere Quiet
Gaslighting extraordinaire… or is it. Keeps you guessing.
Appendage (Horror/Comedy, Hulu, 2023) Meh. Deserves better than the 50% it has on RT, but this is mostly a by-the-numbers forgettable horror film of the type you’d see in Drive Ins. Horror as an analogy or social critic is nothing new and it’s not surprising or interesting here either.
Watch only if desperate for a C Grade horror flick in a date night capacity.
Quiet Place - Day One
Recommended.
What a pleasant surprise, much like The First Omen. A prequel no one asked for and they did a great job. Both movies are the best in their series and both were just kind of unexpected and unanticipated in any way.
Quiet Place Day One is strong because it focuses on one character, a terminally ill woman. I think choosing a terminally ill woman was a great idea. I mean, she is in her final weeks at most and the world is more or less ending, but for her the difference is mostly how it impacts others.
A great movie and a great performance from Lupita Nyong’o, who sells the entire, mostly silent, performance.
I won’t spoil the movie, but it was 90+ minutes, just the right length, and gripping the entire way.
I can’t wait to see it again.
I saw Nope about a week ago, and I really enjoyed it. It didn’t really “read” as a horror movie to me, which is why I liked it more than I expected. I thought it started weakly after the opening with the chimp show. OJ and Emerald were really over the top – in opposite directions – of their personalities, and I think it would have played better if that were toned down a little. It kept my interest in a meditative way, and I loved the location. The Gordy stuff, though, was just plain creeeeepy.
Beverly Hills Cop [4] - Axel F
Somewhat recommended.
Did you really love the first two Beverly Hils Cop movies? That will likely impact how you enjoy this. I only think the first one is pretty good and barely remember the second one. No, never saw the third one.
This was fun. Pretty fun, super fun. Eddie Murphy tries hard, but there isn’t quite enough for him to do or react to in this movie. Having said that, it does not feel like 40 years since the original.
Not bad, not great. I presume MUCH better than 3, though. Feels much like the other ones.
The Fall Guy (2024). This movie left me with a smile on my face when I left the theater. It was a combination of the charisma of the leads, the light story and of course the stunts. There were both cool moments as well as funny ones both of which I greatly enjoyed.
I ended up watching two versions of the film. The theatrical version and later the streaming version. It was early into viewing the streaming version that I realized it was not matching up with my memory. As it happens the streaming version is about 20 minutes longer with some scenes simply a bit longer as well as some stunt sequences. The additional length does not add anything new to the plot which is why it took a while to realize they were different. One main change is that there is less narration in the streaming version.
Regardless this is probably a movie I will re-watch when I am in the mood for something light and fun.
//i\\
Godzilla x Kong (now on MAX) = a two hour nap on the sofa. So not a total loss.
Went into it blind.
Found it slow, boring, and predictable. Didn’t like the imaginary and flashback stuff. I couldn’t wait for it to end.
Wow, is Dirty Grandpa bad. I caught a Youtube of a minute, and it looked like it might be funny, vulgar, plus how bad could Robert DeNiro be?
Answer: Really bad, plus just vulgar without a drop of funny.
In the wee hours this morning during a bout of insomnia, I watched Intern, a 2015 release starring Robert DeNiro and Anne Hathaway. Although not a deep or particularly intriguing plot, I found it quite entertaining with some good comedic moments.
Still in theaters but barely. Sweet and fun story with 94 year old June Squibb in her first lead role as 93 year old Thelma on an impossible mission to recover money she was scammed out of. Richard Roundtree in has last role before he died last November.
I’m sure it will be streaming by late August.
Inside Out 2 was okay. But just okay. Good to see Disney having a good box office once though. They have not been having an easy time of it.