RATE or REVIEW The Last Movie You Watched.

[karamazov80]

Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 8/10

Wonderfully crafted movie. Cinematography, score, acting, mood, all top notch. Really surprisingly funny at times. Only loses points for not connecting with me in some ways. That the Dreyfuss character could abandon his family, but be treated so sympathetically while doing so is the one thread I can't really understand.

 

[choombaz]

Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 8/10

Only loses points for not connecting with me in some ways. That the Dreyfuss character could abandon his family, but be treated so sympathetically while doing so is the one thread I can't really understand.

Trying to remember who treated him sympathetically? My recollection is he becomes highly obsessive like everyone else who is chosen (albeit they are all in different ways). I appreciated that the character is flawed in that way.

 

[karamazov80]

Trying to remember who treated him sympathetically? My recollection is he becomes highly obsessive like everyone else who is chosen (albeit they are all in different ways). I appreciated that the character is flawed in that way.

The film itself does. It becomes a wish fulfillment fantasy. The music is very romantic throughout the ending. They never show his family again or make reference to them after he leaves his house. The audience is encouraged to forget how maladaptive and screwy he was earlier in the film.

Funny enough, I just finished watching the documentary on the special features DVD and the last thing they show is Spielberg saying that this film dates him more than any other because he was so naive and idealistic. He said that, 20 years later with several kids of his own, there is no way he would make the same movie and he points specifically to how he leaves his family behind. Being a father myself I can relate. Had I watched this movie in my 20s I doubt this would have been much of a sticking point for me. Still a really brilliantly made movie. The documentary makes me appreciate it that much more for all the creativity and care that went into it all. The way they got reactions from the young boy was genius.

 

[karamazov80]

The Fabelmans: 6.5/10
It had its moments--I do love the scene with John Ford which feels right out of a Coen Bros. movie--and even at his worst Spielberg is better than most, so I'm grading this one on a downward curve, but he isn't what he used to be, and it shows with something as indulgent and melodramatic as this. Paul Dano was really good, as he always seems to be, but not particularly memorable or impactful. It also wasn't a story I could really relate to.

ET: 8/10

Lots of nostalgia about this one. This is where the sentimentalism of Spielberg really works.

 

[a-dev]

Close Encounters of the Third Kind: 8/10

Wonderfully crafted movie. Cinematography, score, acting, mood, all top notch. Really surprisingly funny at times. Only loses points for not connecting with me in some ways. That the Dreyfuss character could abandon his family, but be treated so sympathetically while doing so is the one thread I can't really understand.

Probably my least liked Spielberg film. I think on my last attempt to watch it I was also struck by what you mention here. I couldn't get on board with the main character.

 

[karamazov80]

Salvation: 8/10

I never heard anything about this movie, but saw it listed on Hulu and figured a revenge western starring Mads Mikkelsen probably deserves a look. It was damn good. Very high quality work with excellent actors.

 

[The Entity]

Salvation: 8/10

I never heard anything about this movie, but saw it listed on Hulu and figured a revenge western starring Mads Mikkelsen probably deserves a look. It was damn good. Very high quality work with excellent actors.

I really like this film. Although it is quite new, it's filmed in this old-timey way with blue/green filters for nightscenes etc. A great couple of actors indeed including Eva Green, make this an excellent watch!

 

[karamazov80]

Miami Vice: 8/10

I was so bored with this on initial release that I remember falling asleep trying to watch it, but I'm glad I gave it another chance because seeing it now I love it. Pure Michael Mann movie in all the right ways. He's a rare filmmaker who can create a mood that is distinctly his own. Motivated me to pull out my old DVD box set of the TV show. Gonna have to start digging back into that one soon.

I really like this film. Although it is quite new, it's filmed in this old-timey way with blue/green filters for nightscenes etc. A great couple of actors indeed including Eva Green, make this an excellent watch!

Was a cool gimmick to have her unable to talk. Showed off her acting chops really well. I thought the guy who played his brother was also tremendous, doing a lot by not doing too much. And Jonathan Pryce and Jeffrey Dean Morgan were really solid as always.

 

[choombaz]

Miami Vice: 8/10

I was so bored with this on initial release that I remember falling asleep trying to watch it, but I'm glad I gave it another chance because seeing it now I love it. Pure Michael Mann movie in all the right ways. He's a rare filmmaker who can create a mood that is distinctly his own. Motivated me to pull out my old DVD box set of the TV show. Gonna have to start digging back into that one soon.

I feel exactly the same way. Other than that typically tremendous gun battle at the end, Mann is a master of this, I was bored when I watched it years ago at the cinema. But I randomly watched it again during lockdown and while not one of his best, it is really good. Farrell and Foxx are just so cool and like you said the photography and music just creates such a fantastic mood.

 

[The Entity]

Miami Vice: 8/10

I was so bored with this on initial release that I remember falling asleep trying to watch it, but I'm glad I gave it another chance because seeing it now I love it. Pure Michael Mann movie in all the right ways. He's a rare filmmaker who can create a mood that is distinctly his own. Motivated me to pull out my old DVD box set of the TV show. Gonna have to start digging back into that one soon.

I feel exactly the same way. Other than that typically tremendous gun battle at the end, Mann is a master of this, I was bored when I watched it years ago at the cinema. But I randomly watched it again during lockdown and while not one of his best, it is really good. Farrell and Foxx are just so cool and like you said the photography and music just creates such a fantastic mood.

I too watched this one again recently and I feel the same. I was bored when I saw it in the theatre and gave it another chance a while ago when it was on Netflix or some streaming service. I really enjoyed it and that gun battle at the end was really good indeed. The one thing I found a bit lacking was the buddy-cop aspect. I never watched the show so I don't know if it was there then, but I found the movie to be really, really serious. Hardly a lighthearted moment.

 

[The Entity]

Druk (Another Round) - 8/10
A Danish film with Mads Mikkelsen about four teachers who are trying an experiment to be slightly drunk 24/7 to improve their lives. A great film with good performances. Highly recommended.

 

[choombaz]

I too watched this one again recently and I feel the same. I was bored when I saw it in the theatre and gave it another chance a while ago when it was on Netflix or some streaming service. I really enjoyed it and that gun battle at the end was really good indeed. The one thing I found a bit lacking was the buddy-cop aspect. I never watched the show so I don't know if it was there then, but I found the movie to be really, really serious. Hardly a lighthearted moment.

The show was much more buddy cop than the film but that’s probably because Mann was constantly compromising with collaborators and the network he was working for. Did he leave the show completely at some point?? The film is 100% unfiltered Mann who I don’t think has a lighthearted bone in his body lol.

 

[LiamNeesons112]

TMNT: Mutant Mayhem - 7/10

I enjoyed the art style, music and cast. It was really well made and the movie flowed well.

The turtles really didn’t feel that strong as characters to me. I didn’t find Mikey funny at all, but Donny seemed more like Mikey? Donny was actually my favorite turtle in this movie even though he wasn’t super techy and smart. Leo seemed the most like his usual self and Raph, who is normally my favorite, was whatever. As a group, the turtles really just kind of blended together and seemed the same when they were together. I also wasn’t a fan of how they learned martial arts (also why didn’t they show Jackie Chan movie clips?! Maybe it’s too on the nose). It’s going to be weird not having Splinter and the turtles not linked to Shredder, I’ll be interested in seeing how they flesh that story out. Hopefully they don’t make him just a generic mercenary. I did enjoy Splinter fighting like Jackie Chan though, that was awesome.

I really didn’t care for the main villain, he just seemed like a regular henchman trying to be the boss. I didn’t like how easily the other mutants were persuaded to betray Superfly, it felt really rushed. I at least thought Beebop, Rocksteady and Leatherhead would have stayed loyal. As much as I like kaiju stuff, the final fight against Superfly fell flat for me. I thought it was really cheesy and cornball to have the humans help the mutants and then accept them.

The movie seemed really small in scale for it being in New York.

I’m not sure how I feel about the turtles going to high school either. I guess that’s a “wait and see” for me. Them not wearing their headbands felt really unsettling to me

All in all, it was a fun, cute movie that made me laugh a bit. I think it’s perfect for their target audience. If I were 6, I would have eaten this movie up and wanted all of the merch.

 

[a-dev]

Scream (2022) - 7/10

Seriously negative reviews on IMDB but I guess this isn't a franchise I hold to as high a standard as those people. I rather enjoyed it. Though I'm pretty sure it's not so likely you'd survive a stabbing let alone multiple frenzied stabbings as these films portray.

 

[goatchumby]

Superman 3 is a 5/10.

Well...saw it as a kids, but last saw it over 10 years ago as I remember it being bad. It not great, but watchable. Although a different movie, ranks the same as MOS. MOS suffers from bad acting and CGI. This movie has a comic book feel and is very watchable.

The visuals are beautiful due to it being Pre-CGI. It's a bright movie. I never understood the Drunk Superman, of how and why it was done? Supposed it's inhibition?

Lana was a good side girl for Clark and his former arch nemesis Bully was a fun add.

I can rewatch this movie, but struggle with the modern CGI ones. I theorize it's the CGI, the acting, and the scrips. It's like writers also do not know how to write fun. Fun isn't just lines, but actions.

It was still kind of cool to see Superman fight Drunk Superman and the ridiculous stuff in it made it a comic book movie.

Supes having a different villain was great and I assume this was a Brainiac stand in plot.

FACT: Thanks to my father, I'll always remember Superman III as the first film I walked out on.

BONUS FACT: Apparently, my mother-in-law walked out on Stallone's Judge Dredd...during the opening credits.

 

[karamazov80]

Blackhat: 7/10

On a Michael Mann kick, so I saw this one on Netflix. Really good! Does have the Mann vibe throughout, though it was a bit slow to get started in my opinion. Ramps up nicely in the second half, though, with the usual level of unromantic violence you come to expect from this guy. If I had one quibble, it's the idea that a super genius tech guy can become an awesome fighter and marksman, presumably due only to his time in prison. Guy is standing toe-to-toe with trained terrorists and holds his own while trained law enforcement agents are getting mowed down. . .

When I initially see something made for a specific moment in time, like Hackers or movies built around flip phones, I think, "boy, this will be dated in a few years." But Mann is somehow able to go beyond that and make these movies a snapshot of life that I think will stand the test of time. Even when the tech seems ridiculously antiquated I feel people can look back at this movie and appreciate the drama and suspense, in the way that something like Thief does. He keeps you on the edge of your seat as well as any other filmmaker out there.

FACT: Thanks to my father, I'll always remember Superman III as the first film I walked out on.

BONUS FACT: Apparently, my mother-in-law walked out on Stallone's Judge Dredd...during the opening credits.

The first one I walked out of was Roger Rabbit, but it was because my grandmother couldn't take it, not me

Related to that, I started watching Beetlejuice with my 10 year old the other day, and didn't realize how raunchy that movie is, but Keaton constantly grabbing his crotch, entering a brothel, etc. He even drops an F bomb! And this is a PG movie! So much for the MPAA making any sense whatsoever. Funny how little attention I paid to those things when I was just watching it on my own.

 

[goatchumby]

The first one I walked out of was Roger Rabbit, but it was because my grandmother couldn't take it, not me

Oh no; that’s so heartbreaking! I love that movie.

 

[choombaz]

Blackhat: 7/10

On a Michael Mann kick, so I saw this one on Netflix. Really good! Does have the Mann vibe throughout, though it was a bit slow to get started in my opinion. Ramps up nicely in the second half, though, with the usual level of unromantic violence you come to expect from this guy. If I had one quibble, it's the idea that a super genius tech guy can become an awesome fighter and marksman, presumably due only to his time in prison. Guy is standing toe-to-toe with trained terrorists and holds his own while trained law enforcement agents are getting mowed down. . .

When I initially see something made for a specific moment in time, like Hackers or movies built around flip phones, I think, "boy, this will be dated in a few years." But Mann is somehow able to go beyond that and make these movies a snapshot of life that I think will stand the test of time. Even when the tech seems ridiculously antiquated I feel people can look back at this movie and appreciate the drama and suspense, in the way that something like Thief does. He keeps you on the edge of your seat as well as any other filmmaker out there.

Curious, do you know if this was the directors cut? I only saw this once when it first came out and was utterly bored by it. This and Public Enemies are the only Mann films I don’t really like.

 

[MeatHookGekko]

Miami Vice: 8/10

I was so bored with this on initial release that I remember falling asleep trying to watch it, but I'm glad I gave it another chance because seeing it now I love it. Pure Michael Mann movie in all the right ways. He's a rare filmmaker who can create a mood that is distinctly his own. Motivated me to pull out my old DVD box set of the TV show. Gonna have to start digging back into that one soon.

Was supposed to have another major gun battle that formulated the originally intended ending. But was never completely filmed.

 

[The Entity]

Movie 43 - 5/10
I heard this is supposed to be one of the worst movies ever... Don't know about that, I thought it was pretty funny at points. Wasn't a masterpiece though.