Just off an overseas redeye, for which I’ve learned from experience not to watch films requiring too much thought or attention.
Love Hurts - missed this in the cinemas because the local distribution was terrible, but this was a rather fun rom-com-action film starring Ke Huy Quan as a mild-mannered real estate agent and former Bad Guy. Lots of fight scenes in domestic spaces using domestic objects, Marshawn Lynch for some reason, a Valentine’s Day theme, Ariana DeBose, boba tea, etc. Not a “must see” but I was entertained throughout and would recommend on that basis, although at some point there should be a limit on how many times a character can get stabbed in a short time frame and still function.
Despicable Me 4 - Look, I was tired. I can say I enjoyed it more than 2 or 3 in that it actually had a likeable new character but please please kill this franchise now.
I love Takeshi Miike and have been, very gradually, watching most of his movies. This was the worst of the bunch. It’s a comedy about a man who dresses up as Zebrman, a made up superhero, each night.
None of the jokes work and it isn’t effective as a comedy or adventure movie. It’s about 95% family friendly, then shows a bunch of vulgar stuff as well. It’s weird.
A misfire for Takeshi Miike.
If you are interested in this man, who makes sometimes 2-3 movies a year, his bests are:
Audition
Ichi the Killer
As the Gods Will
13 Assassins
Dead or Alive
Imprint - actually a Masters of Horror episode, but so shocking even the cable network it aired on refused to air it. Possibly the most shocking episode of TV out there.
Oh, Charles Band, is there no level you will go to to make a quick buck?
Charles claimed that this movie, starring Tony Todd, was lost for years. And whatdya know? With Todd terminally ill, now dead, Charles managed to find the movie. It was shot in 2004.
It’s unfinished, only 62 minutes long. Charles Band slapped some horrific AI stuff into it and threw it up on Tubi. I watched it. Is Tony Todd good in it? Not really. The whole movie is too bad for him to even give a good performance. More importantly, it’s just not a fully shot or finished movie.
If you believe Charles Band just found the print of this movie coincidentally around the same time Tony Todd diedd, then you are what we call a sucker.
I like Stuart Gordon and this is the most boring of his movies.
Mira Sorvino…uh…she’s white, right?
:looks it up:
Yeah, she’s white. They obviously have her playing what they think is a Black character without directly saying as much. Cornrow hairstyle, the way they have her interacting and talking. There is no reason for any of that.
It doesn’t matter. The movie is boring. Having a Black actress would have not helped one bit.
Watch King of the Ants from Stuart Gordon. A better movie and, get this, George Wendt(RIP) is in it!
Do you mean Mena Suvari? She was the lead character in a 2007 movie directed by Stuart Gordon called Stuck. I have no idea if either Suvari or Sorvino can pass as black.
Weird since the woman in the actual incident is Black. Not like Mena Suvari is such a name that she’d draw an audience ($161,000 worldwide gross for that film.)
I’ve watched movies specifically because Mena Suvari was in them. But then the one-two punch of Stuck followed by The Mysteries of Pittsburgh discouraged me from seeking out her projects.
I’m still happy if I watch something and she happens to be in it. Don’t Blink is a personal favorite of mine.
Yeah, and she was in American Pie. And then nothing but a long series of crap unknown films. Which prompted my wonder at why they’d cast a white woman in that role when it’s not like she has a following, as evidenced by the grosses.
DEFINITELY WATCH: The Ugly Stepsister on Shudder. 9/10! It’s subtitled, basically the original disgusting version of Cinderella by the Grimm Brothers. I was floored. 18th century body horror. Great reviews!
100%. I always say I don’t enjoy body horror but I really dug this and the icky parts were somehow not as icky as I’d feared going in. Lea Myren is fantastic in the lead. IRL she is beautiful but here she lets herself look as ugly as the part calls for. Highly recommended.
Made me grin - writing is good. Needed a feel good after the week I had.
Bloody ambitious and just what I needed.
Really great to see Dreamworks knock one out of the park…this is a top notch movie. From a review
What to Expect from The Wild Robot As someone who watches 8-10 films in theaters each month and has seen over 300 films in 2024 alone, including the top 20 grossing films, it takes something truly special for a movie to break into my top 3. The Wild Robot has done just that.
For a cinephile who watches so many movies, The Wild Robot stands out in a year full of blockbusters. Its ability to connect emotionally with an entire audience is something I rarely see. It’s not just a family film—it’s a cinematic experience that resonates deeply with viewers of all ages. If you’re looking for a film that blends emotional storytelling with stunning visuals, this is it. The Wild Robot deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible—it’s a movie that will leave you thinking, feeling, and remembering why you love cinema. Sparkling heart
I plan on seeing the new Karate Kid movie so decided to rewatch the first one and watch for the first time the “remake”
The original is still a classic movie for a reason, I think everybody is extremely well cast, and while cheesy it’s the right amount of cheesy, Daniel is a very entertaining character to root for and Mr Miyagi is actually legitimately great acting in this. It’s a tiny bit too long but I still really enjoyed it.
The remake however is 100% a pointless remake. It copies the original scene for scene almost dialogue for dialogue so it doesn’t really add anything new except for being a big tourism board advertisment for the country of China. It makes the baffling decision to change the main cast from 16-17 year old high schoolers to 12 year old middle schoolers, so seeing Jackie Chan punch a bunch of 12 year olds in the face jarring, and then the ending is still “sweep the leg” except you now know it’s a 12 year old with a broken leg in the fighting tournament which is also super weird. I do think Jackie Chan is excellent in it, so I’m actually excited to see him in the new one given actual new material to work with.
I saw the original for the first time in decades a year or two ago. I was impressed. I’d forgotten how well shot, acted, and just how great the overall production was. I remember Roger Ebert’s review discussing the same surprise he had. He assumed “standard sports movie” thing and it ended up being a lot better than expected.
I liked the Jackie Chan one as well. I have heard mostly mixed or negative about the new one with both Daniel-san and Jackie(whatever his character was called).
