Films Recently Watched

  On 3/29/2023 at 1:10 AM, auxien said:

watched the Reno 911 Qanon movie and it was....mostly watchable. laughed a little, but i just don't think they should keep on with this. the first few seasons of the show were great silly fun, and the first movie was kinda fun just because it was so over the top, but this one just wasn't all that great, despite all the comedic chops of the actors

also watched Zoolander 2 (yes, i know i have very refined tastes in the arts of çinémä) and laughed far more than i remembered when i first watched it years ago. good enough fun. not great or anything, but good.

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have you watched the new seasons yet? 7 and 8? if you don't compare it to the old ones they're still pretty funny...

  On 3/28/2023 at 9:04 PM, Silent Member said:

Yeah, I watched that recently as well. Hated it. 

I'm still amazed at how basic and corny it is. it had no teeth and just sort of meandered along, compared to both Antiviral and Possessor which packed so much more punch. what went wrong? maybe the increasing stardom clouded his judgement.

  On 3/29/2023 at 1:34 AM, cruising for burgers said:

have you watched the new seasons yet? 7 and 8? if you don't compare it to the old ones they're still pretty funny...

i don't know if i knew they made recent seasons. just looked on the other parts of the interwebz and found out it was 2020 and 2022. i'll give them a shot for sure. i'm not picky on what i'm watching for TV these days so if it's half as funny as the old ones then it'll be good enough for me. thanks for pointing that out my good mr burgercruiser

Been sorta low these last coupla weeks so sinking into my "comfort zone" genre of movies: Found Footage Horror. 

REC - It took me ages to watch this, partly because I'd already watched Quarantine (the US remake) and partly because of subtitles which . . . doesn't necessarily bother me, but I have to be up for it. Kind of glad I waited because, even though this is over a decade old, it's easily one of my top FF Horror Movies ever.  

Annoying (if perky) late night news reported joins a firefighter crew as they respond to a call in an apartment building for a health issue, things escalate quickly as the building becomes suddenly quarantined and ... well, not going to spoil if for you if you haven't seen it, but the endgame was a bit surprising. 

What makes this film brilliant is that it somehow is expertly directed while still feeling utterly natural. It's a huge feat in a genre that often eschews comprehensibility for the chaos of shaky camera to communicate "genuineness." A taut thriller where almost no shot is wasted, each choice narratively and directorially contributing to a film that funnels down to gnarly conclusion (the ending being the only thing that is, maybe, a little bit of a let down. But only maybe, because it's just really hard to stick any landing in a horror film). 

Not a 10/10 film because it's got a few things to quibble about, but easily a 10/10 found footage horror film. One of the best I've ever seen.

REC² - So, how do you follow-up a masterpiece like Rec? You go Aliens on it. That's not a new observation, a lot of people have made the comparison, and it's an apt one. Essentially starting out right after the events of REC, a group of soldiers are sent into the building. Multi-cameras replace the one singular camera in Rec, the pace is more action-y, and, overall, it's a worthy sequel. There is a weird narrative decision halfway through to

Regardless, this remains another tight thriller, with some new tricks thrown in to the mix that show a director/editor willing to learn new things in the face of their craft. 

This one isn't as tight as the first, and there are some real kinda eye roll horror movie decisions made at certain points, but they're forgivable because.. hey man, this is just a FF horror flick. It's not Scorsese (and it's not trying to be). It's great for what it is. 

Mister Creep - If REC is a 10/10, and REC2 is more like a 9/10 then this one is. .. Ok, there are tiers of FF horror. Some are these pretty well made affairs (I'd put As Above So Below in there or The Taking of Deborah Logan). Some of them are legitimately someone's art school project and cost literally 75$ to make. Then there are some that lie somewhere in between, where it's clear that it's some indie filmmaker who has maybe a budget, but not much of one, and whose actors are all college drama school friends who need the work. 

This one falls into that latter category, and judged on that pool of films, is exceptionally well done. The premise:

4 college kids (but, older college kids, who are back in school because the gig economy essentially sucks) are finishing their final film project. One of them is obsessed with serial killers, and claims to have found an urban legend of a serial killer with over 200 confirmed kills, whose existence was swept under the rug b/c, hey, it's bad for tourism n shit. There is a rumored broadcast that still is being sent over the airways (which gives the director an excuse to introduce younger audiences to rabbit ear antennas) seeming to suggest the killer is somehow still broadcasting, even though he was given lethal injection. 

Kids follow the clues blah blah weird shit starts to happen blah blah. What's great here is multifactorial: 

•  The film switches between an interview with the serial killer (legitimately well acted/unnerving/interesting), his broadcasts (very weird, psychedelia sort of things), and film from the kids investigating. This allows the director to present a few different types of media, and each one is competently carried off. Nothing amazeballs, but just having one style competently done in these films is unusual, much less three. 
• The whole things clocks in at just over an hour between credits. I.e., it doesn't fuck around like a lot of these movies tend to do. Yes, maybe I'd like a little more time with these characters, but I'd easily sacrifice that for something like this where I can get in/out in a short evening session. It's nice the director understands the audience here - we don't come to these mid-tier FF horror films for a buffet of runtime, we just want something concise and competently done. 

So, for what it is, 9.5/10. Totally worth the 5 bucks I spent because, not only did I enjoy it, I know the money will go to some dude who actually might need it/use it to continue to hone his craft. 

doc of sorts (more like ass kissing) for anton lavey from all the usual suspects (including uncle boyd) which means it's before all the "beef" and eventual downfall of

Just watched the new Dungeons & Dragons movie. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Smart and funny in all the right places, with some great CGI stuff that didn't overwhelm or spoil the movie itself. 8/10.

  On 3/30/2023 at 8:52 PM, fumi said:

Just watched the new Dungeons & Dragons movie. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Smart and funny in all the right places, with some great CGI stuff that didn't overwhelm or spoil the movie itself. 8/10.

I'm (weirdly) rooting for this one. From everything I've read it sounds like the sort of film that doesn't get made all that often these days - i.e., a lighthearted fantasy adventure/comedy that has heart but also doesn't take itself too seriously. Seems like everything these is either ultra-intense CGI overload or utterly vapid drivel. 

*reminds self to re-watch Princess Bride soon*

Gregg Araki is remastering The Doom Generation 

  On 3/29/2023 at 8:50 PM, T3551ER said:

Been sorta low these last coupla weeks so sinking into my "comfort zone" genre of movies: Found Footage Horror. 

REC - It took me ages to watch this, partly because I'd already watched Quarantine (the US remake) and partly because of subtitles which . . . doesn't necessarily bother me, but I have to be up for it. Kind of glad I waited because, even though this is over a decade old, it's easily one of my top FF Horror Movies ever.  

Annoying (if perky) late night news reported joins a firefighter crew as they respond to a call in an apartment building for a health issue, things escalate quickly as the building becomes suddenly quarantined and ... well, not going to spoil if for you if you haven't seen it, but the endgame was a bit surprising. 

What makes this film brilliant is that it somehow is expertly directed while still feeling utterly natural. It's a huge feat in a genre that often eschews comprehensibility for the chaos of shaky camera to communicate "genuineness." A taut thriller where almost no shot is wasted, each choice narratively and directorially contributing to a film that funnels down to gnarly conclusion (the ending being the only thing that is, maybe, a little bit of a let down. But only maybe, because it's just really hard to stick any landing in a horror film). 

Not a 10/10 film because it's got a few things to quibble about, but easily a 10/10 found footage horror film. One of the best I've ever seen.

REC² - So, how do you follow-up a masterpiece like Rec? You go Aliens on it. That's not a new observation, a lot of people have made the comparison, and it's an apt one. Essentially starting out right after the events of REC, a group of soldiers are sent into the building. Multi-cameras replace the one singular camera in Rec, the pace is more action-y, and, overall, it's a worthy sequel. There is a weird narrative decision halfway through to

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split off from the action, and pick back up with a second set of characters who have their own camera. We then see the events from there perspective, with a couple of crossover moments between sections, until everyone comes together for the final gauntlet. 

Regardless, this remains another tight thriller, with some new tricks thrown in to the mix that show a director/editor willing to learn new things in the face of their craft. 

This one isn't as tight as the first, and there are some real kinda eye roll horror movie decisions made at certain points, but they're forgivable because.. hey man, this is just a FF horror flick. It's not Scorsese (and it's not trying to be). It's great for what it is. 

Mister Creep - If REC is a 10/10, and REC2 is more like a 9/10 then this one is. .. Ok, there are tiers of FF horror. Some are these pretty well made affairs (I'd put As Above So Below in there or The Taking of Deborah Logan). Some of them are legitimately someone's art school project and cost literally 75$ to make. Then there are some that lie somewhere in between, where it's clear that it's some indie filmmaker who has maybe a budget, but not much of one, and whose actors are all college drama school friends who need the work. 

This one falls into that latter category, and judged on that pool of films, is exceptionally well done. The premise:

4 college kids (but, older college kids, who are back in school because the gig economy essentially sucks) are finishing their final film project. One of them is obsessed with serial killers, and claims to have found an urban legend of a serial killer with over 200 confirmed kills, whose existence was swept under the rug b/c, hey, it's bad for tourism n shit. There is a rumored broadcast that still is being sent over the airways (which gives the director an excuse to introduce younger audiences to rabbit ear antennas) seeming to suggest the killer is somehow still broadcasting, even though he was given lethal injection. 

Kids follow the clues blah blah weird shit starts to happen blah blah. What's great here is multifactorial: 

•  The film switches between an interview with the serial killer (legitimately well acted/unnerving/interesting), his broadcasts (very weird, psychedelia sort of things), and film from the kids investigating. This allows the director to present a few different types of media, and each one is competently carried off. Nothing amazeballs, but just having one style competently done in these films is unusual, much less three. 
• The whole things clocks in at just over an hour between credits. I.e., it doesn't fuck around like a lot of these movies tend to do. Yes, maybe I'd like a little more time with these characters, but I'd easily sacrifice that for something like this where I can get in/out in a short evening session. It's nice the director understands the audience here - we don't come to these mid-tier FF horror films for a buffet of runtime, we just want something concise and competently done. 

So, for what it is, 9.5/10. Totally worth the 5 bucks I spent because, not only did I enjoy it, I know the money will go to some dude who actually might need it/use it to continue to hone his craft. 

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Mister Creep has been added to my Watch List. Thanks, man!

soon

  On 3/29/2023 at 2:38 AM, auxien said:

i don't know if i knew they made recent seasons. just looked on the other parts of the interwebz and found out it was 2020 and 2022. i'll give them a shot for sure. i'm not picky on what i'm watching for TV these days so if it's half as funny as the old ones then it'll be good enough for me. thanks for pointing that out my good mr burgercruiser

They made another movie last year that landed like a wet fart. The drop in quality is pretty bad, and I liked the QAnon movie, lol

  On 4/2/2023 at 2:22 PM, Rubin Farr said:

They made another movie last year that landed like a wet fart. The drop in quality is pretty bad, and I liked the QAnon movie, lol

 

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will surely have to hatewatch this for the xmas season this year

  On 4/2/2023 at 8:34 AM, Squee said:

Mister Creep has been added to my Watch List. Thanks, man!

Nice! Lmk what you think. It's def "mid tier" FF, but does what it does well/gets in/out without overstating it's welcome. 

  On 4/2/2023 at 5:34 PM, T3551ER said:

Nice! Lmk what you think. It's def "mid tier" FF, but does what it does well/gets in/out without overstating it's welcome. 

Can't seem to find it anywhere. No streaming service, no nothing. Where did you watch it?

Perfect for a Sunday afternoon 

  On 4/2/2023 at 5:35 PM, Squee said:

Can't seem to find it anywhere. No streaming service, no nothing. Where did you watch it?

Read the book decades ago and that’s a 10/10. And the film isn’t far off a 10/10 either. Second watch for me since it was released. Still a classic.

  On 4/2/2023 at 7:26 PM, cruising for burgers said:

 

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Not available where I am. Damnit.
Also, I love your search.

  On 4/2/2023 at 7:26 PM, cruising for burgers said:

 

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Cruisin FTW and flol @ ur search terms too

@Squeewell that's crap. Wonder if it's bc it's a little indie piece, so weird when these things aren't available cross regionally. 

  On 4/2/2023 at 9:36 PM, Squee said:

Not available where I am. Damnit.
Also, I love your search.

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/bridgefest2023selection/776827168

Inside with Willem Dafoe. Pretty ok!

Real gritty, gauzy, grainy vibes from this one. The killer was pretty unmotivated and creepy. Decent score from Brad Fiedel, the guy that did the first two Terminators