Executive Decision - B Edge Of Tomorrow - B- The whole thing felt rushed, even though we are literally watching the same thing over and over again. There needed to be some more character building. If you are going to build your entire climax around this team of misfits helping them out, you need to actually have something invested in the characters and the movie doesn't allow it. There also feels like there is a lack of development for Cruise and Blunt's characters. Yes, Cruise's character grows in courage and battle skill, but the character still feels one note. Blunt's character seems remarkably well composed for having the time travel ability and then losing it and watching the world crumble around her. I will give the script credit for not replaying the same thing over and over again with each loop and only as touchstones when needed. However, it is still an action flick without much development around them.
Spoiler: Movies Seen January & February Bombshell - theater Michelle Wolf: Nice Lady - Hulu 6 Underground - Netflix The Art of Self-Defense - Hulu Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker IMAX 3D/IMAX - AMC/AMC Richard Jewell - AMC Inside Man: Most Wanted - Netflix Spies in Disguise 3D - AMC Little Women (2019) - AMC 1917 BigD - AMC Anna and the Apocalypse - Hulu Unfriended - Hulu Unfriended: Dark Web - Hulu Unfriended: Dark Web - Extended Version - Hulu The Sun is Also a Star - Hulu Underwater - AMC Bad Boys for Life IMAX/2D - AMC/AMC Just Mercy - AMC Dolittle - AMC The Turning - AMC MST3K: The Killer Bees - YouTube MST3K: Samson vs the Vampire Women - YouTube MST3K: The Incredible Melting Man - YouTube Uncut Gems - AMC The Last Full Measure - AMC The Gentlemen - AMC Tom Papa: You're Doing Great! - Netflix MST3K: Squirm - YouTube Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) 2D/IMAX - Alamo Drafthouse/AMC The Rhythm Section - AMC MST3K: Track of the Moon Beast - YouTube Parasite - AMC Jeff Garlin: Our Man in Chicago - Netflix Fantasy Island (2020) - AMC Mark Maron: Too Real - Netflix The Call of the Wild BigD - AMC Mark Maron: Thinky Pain - Netflix MST3K: Fire Maidens of Outer Space - YouTube MST3K: The Screaming Skull - YouTube The Invisible Man IMAX (2020) - AMC Impractical Jokers: The Movie - AMC Sonic the Hedgehog - AMC The Foreigner - Netflix Marc Maron: End Times Fun - Netflix Onward IMAX - AMC The Way Back - AMC The Hunt - AMC My sister paid the Netflix bill! YAY! Watched The Foreigner, which I missed in theaters, the other day. I remember the trailer, but don't remember seeing it in theaters out here. Jackie Chan versus Pierce Brosnan seems like an odd match up, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. Chan plays a widowed father who's daughter is killed in a terrorist attack. He believes that Brosnan's Irishman in the British government has a connection & knowledge about the terrorists, and targets him to get that information so he can get his revenge for the death of the daughter. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Marc Maron's most recent standup special was alright, made me laugh a few times. Went to see Onward in IMAX yesterday, and I will never watch that fucking movie ever again. Nothing against the movie itself, but it did remind me too much of deaths in my own family over the decades. There was a cute The Simpsons short before the movie, and nothing after the credits. I was expecting The Way Back to be more like The Hoosiers and less like Leaving Las Vegas. Go figure. It was a good film, and a nice bit of character work from Ben Affleck. It was for sure about him and less about the team he's coaching for his old high school. Followed that tonight with The Hunt, which opened tonight. Extreme liberals vs right wingnuts. There was some dark humor, made me laugh a few times, but the final fight was stupid. I can see why it was delayed, but at the same time, I can't help but think it was delayed to bring up the buzz for its eventual release. I'll be roadtripping down to Houston on Monday to see a Star Wars documentary at the Alamo Drafthouse, unless it gets cancelled between now & then.
Executive Decision - B Edge Of Tomorrow - B- Power Rangers - D I recorded this one on the PVR because I grew up with the original series and I wanted to see what they'd do with a revamp. And wow, this was bad. I can't wait until we get past the movie trope where all heroes must start out as douchebags and be redeemed. Four out of the five Rangers are not likeable and they spend three quarters of the movie forcing them together. You never connect with any of the characters and the character of Zordon, who had been a gentle teacher in the television series, is turned into this cranky guy who barks and yells to get his point across. For a fan of the original, it was disheartening to see. The entire movie is dark (light wise) and shot in these jerky camera movements, even when they are doing character moments. I'm not usually a fan of Elizabeth Banks, but she is the only saving grace in this movie. Her performance isn't flawless, but she sells the corny villain. Someone needs to write her a movie where she plays a crazy villain but without six layers of makeup.
Spoiler: Movies Seen January & February Bombshell - theater Michelle Wolf: Nice Lady - Hulu 6 Underground - Netflix The Art of Self-Defense - Hulu Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker IMAX 3D/IMAX - AMC/AMC Richard Jewell - AMC Inside Man: Most Wanted - Netflix Spies in Disguise 3D - AMC Little Women (2019) - AMC 1917 BigD - AMC Anna and the Apocalypse - Hulu Unfriended - Hulu Unfriended: Dark Web - Hulu Unfriended: Dark Web - Extended Version - Hulu The Sun is Also a Star - Hulu Underwater - AMC Bad Boys for Life IMAX/2D - AMC/AMC Just Mercy - AMC Dolittle - AMC The Turning - AMC MST3K: The Killer Bees - YouTube MST3K: Samson vs the Vampire Women - YouTube MST3K: The Incredible Melting Man - YouTube Uncut Gems - AMC The Last Full Measure - AMC The Gentlemen - AMC Tom Papa: You're Doing Great! - Netflix MST3K: Squirm - YouTube Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) 2D/IMAX - Alamo Drafthouse/AMC The Rhythm Section - AMC MST3K: Track of the Moon Beast - YouTube Parasite - AMC Jeff Garlin: Our Man in Chicago - Netflix Fantasy Island (2020) - AMC Mark Maron: Too Real - Netflix The Call of the Wild BigD - AMC Mark Maron: Thinky Pain - Netflix MST3K: Fire Maidens of Outer Space - YouTube MST3K: The Screaming Skull - YouTube The Invisible Man IMAX (2020) - AMC Impractical Jokers: The Movie - AMC Sonic the Hedgehog - AMC The Foreigner - Netflix Marc Maron: End Times Fun - Netflix Onward IMAX - AMC The Way Back - AMC The Hunt - AMC Bloodshot BigD - AMC Emma. (2020) - AMC My trip to Houston got cancelled. The Alamo Drafthouse took the screening off their schedule, and sent me a refund for my voucher that secured the seat. I was only able to see two movies with my AMC Stubs during my day off Monday, Bloodshot and Emma. Vin Diesel's new one could be the start of a new franchise for him, though it will be impossible to say for sure, since theater chains across the country and around the world are shut down right now. It started out pretty good, and ended well enough. It got a bit boring there in the middle, though. And it took me longer than I care to admit to realize while I was watching it that Emma. was just a period version of Clueless. They even used some of the same character names, for crying out loud! By the time I got home Monday night, there were emails from Alamo Drafthouse and AMC letting me know they were shutting down for awhile, followed by emails from Cinemark and Apex, the other two nearby theater chains. Studio Movie Grill is still going, at five bucks a seat. Until this pandemic is done, I guess I'll be sticking with Netflix, Hulu & Disney+.
I watched Onward at the house. I thought it was pretty good and really enjoyed the Chris Pratt and Tom Holland voicing duo. 8/10
I wonder why Ya gotta give it a plus for the character death and when they did it. Pretty brave considering the year
Quarantine Edition: The Hunt - 6/10 - A couple of funny scenes, but a mostly forgettable movie with a lazy script. Upgrade - 7/10 - Leigh Whannell has certainly improved himself in The Invisible Man, but this is a decent flick with some great action scenes. After Midnight - 4/10 - Half romance / half unseen creature flick. It's weird and not something I'd recommend Vivarium - 6/10 it felt like a 4 hour movie at times. It's pretty boring.
Spoiler 6 Underground (9/10) Birds of Prey (2020) (7/10) Uncut Gems (6/10) Recently Seen: Code Geass: Lelouche of the RE:Surrection (9/10) Eureka 7 HiEvolution Movie 2: Anemone (7/10) Running Total: 5
Starfish (2019) - 4/10. Grief and loss and just so incredibly boring. Harpoon - 7/10 - I actually really liked this one and went along with it until the end. A good horror-comedy.
Time Freak - 6/10 - Another time travel romance novel featuring Asa Butterfield and Sophie Turner. It could have been a lot better with a tighter script.
Spoiler: Movies Seen January & February Bombshell - theater Michelle Wolf: Nice Lady - Hulu 6 Underground - Netflix The Art of Self-Defense - Hulu Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker IMAX 3D/IMAX - AMC/AMC Richard Jewell - AMC Inside Man: Most Wanted - Netflix Spies in Disguise 3D - AMC Little Women (2019) - AMC 1917 BigD - AMC Anna and the Apocalypse - Hulu Unfriended - Hulu Unfriended: Dark Web - Hulu Unfriended: Dark Web - Extended Version - Hulu The Sun is Also a Star - Hulu Underwater - AMC Bad Boys for Life IMAX/2D - AMC/AMC Just Mercy - AMC Dolittle - AMC The Turning - AMC MST3K: The Killer Bees - YouTube MST3K: Samson vs the Vampire Women - YouTube MST3K: The Incredible Melting Man - YouTube Uncut Gems - AMC The Last Full Measure - AMC The Gentlemen - AMC Tom Papa: You're Doing Great! - Netflix MST3K: Squirm - YouTube Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) 2D/IMAX - Alamo Drafthouse/AMC The Rhythm Section - AMC MST3K: Track of the Moon Beast - YouTube Parasite - AMC Jeff Garlin: Our Man in Chicago - Netflix Fantasy Island (2020) - AMC Mark Maron: Too Real - Netflix The Call of the Wild BigD - AMC Mark Maron: Thinky Pain - Netflix MST3K: Fire Maidens of Outer Space - YouTube MST3K: The Screaming Skull - YouTube The Invisible Man IMAX (2020) - AMC Impractical Jokers: The Movie - AMC Sonic the Hedgehog - AMC The Foreigner - Netflix Marc Maron: End Times Fun - Netflix Onward IMAX - AMC The Way Back - AMC The Hunt - AMC Bloodshot BigD - AMC Emma. (2020) - AMC The Assignment - Netflix A Simple Favor - Hulu Doom: Annihilation - Netflix The Russia House - Hulu Spenser Confidential - Netflix The Other Guys - Netflix Portrait of a Lady on Fire - Hulu War Dogs - Hulu A coworker told me The Assignment was a terrible movie, should have listened instead of watching it for myself to see just how bad...Michelle Rodriguez plays a male assassin who is betrayed and turned into a woman by a vengeful Sigourney Weaver. ASF was alright, but not great, story about a woman faking her own death and her "best friend" starting an affair with the husband. Not the usual from Paul Feig, but maybe he should stick with comedy. DA was an awful direct to video type scifi horror based off the videogame. TRH was a movie I remember seeing the poster for at the Stephenville Cinemark when I was a kid, but never watched the trailer or the movie 'til a few weeks ago. It was alright, I suppose, if a bit slow. SC was an enjoyable movie based off the Wonderland novel. I never did watch Spenser For Hire of A Man Called Hawk, but this movie using rebooted versions of the same characters was alright. I may read the book later. TOG was a lot better than I expected, can't remember the last time I laughed so much at a movie. PoaLoF was kind of incredible. I remember seeing the trailer last year, but the movie never played locally. Its a French film, making it the second foreign film I've watched this year, after Parasite. I really liked the music used in the trailer, and the scene it was used in the movie & over the end credits. And then I read that it was Latin for "They Cannot Escape" chanted over and over again. What the hell?!?! The first "new to me" movie of April was War Dogs which I watched the other night. I saw the trailer awhile back, just the one time, so I was surprised to see Bradley Cooper show up in the "based on a true story" until I saw at the end credits that it was directed by Todd Phillips. I miss going to the movies.
Love, Antosha - 8 - I recommend this for any fan of Anton Yelchin or the Abrams films. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood - 8 Starfish - 4 Birds of Prey: Harley Quinn Etc. - 4 Halloween 4 - 4 Halloween 5 - 6
Spoiler: Watched in 2020 The Capote Tapes Underwater The Gentlemen The Turning Edge of the Axe The Juniper Tree The Jesus Rolls Birds of Prey In a Year With 13 Moons The Devil's Harmony Wild at Heart Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen Primal Bad Education The Invisible Man (2020) Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson The Hitcher (1986) The Wicker Man (1973) Star Trek: First Contact The Score Swallow The Hunt Vaya luna de miel/What a Honeymoon The Platform Bacurau Psycho Beach Party Malabimba Goke, Body Snatcher From Hell That Thing You Do! Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always Liberace (1988) Beyond the Door Steven Arnold: Heavenly Bodies Blow the Man Down Deep Impact Bliss Baby Face Eyes of Laura Mars Mr. Freedom She Shoulda Said No Set It Off Circus of Books Star Trek (2009) Green Room Dorian Gray in the Mirror of the Yellow Press A list of everything I've watched so far this year, pulled from my Letterboxd account. Some are first time watches, some are re-watches. Many of these titles can be found through the usual streaming channels like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, as well as Kanopy, The Criterion Channel, Tubi etc. but a few were screeners, Blu-rays, or were only available to watch online for a limited time.
Executive Decision - B Edge Of Tomorrow - B- Power Rangers - D Sully – C+ I caught this one randomly on television during the pandemic and frankly, I was disappointed. Count me as one of the people frustrated that the producers/writers created a “villain” out of the NTSB, an organization that has done so much good in the airline industry to save lives. This movie didn’t need a villain and could’ve worked as a character piece of a man being hailed as a hero, but still having issues with the PTSD. Instead the movie tries to pump up the idea of the American hero and while Sully is, it creates false tension. The movie also suffers from adding too much, where some storylines could’ve been deleted to trim up the movie. What did work was putting scenes in the hands of Tom Hanks. He sells the quiet, reserved, humble Sully, especially in the scenes where he is suffering from nightmares, believing he hears the media questioning his decision or imagining crashing into buildings instead of in the river. He is clearly one of the best actors of our generation and of all time. Aaron Eckhart is also well cast as Hanks’ co-pilot. The acting was not the problem with this movie for me. It was a script that went the wrong direction in telling the story of Sully. My grade is only high as it is because of the acting.
Body Heat (1981) - 8/10 Kathleen Turner and William Hurt are fantastic in this. Ted Danson even has a weird supporting role. Repulsion (1965) - 8/10 I've been wanting to watch this one for a long time and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I'm watching The Tenant soon.
Platoon - 8/10 Solid, well acted movie. Good soundtrack and cinematography. Star Trek First Contact - 7/10 It's still a pretty good movie. Special effects hold up well, acting is good. In the middle of my annual rewatch of The Shawshank Redemption - 10/10. It still gives me chills. Very well done, from the acting, cinematography, right on down to the soundtrack. Update: Finally got to see it in full again. It's such a good movie. On Golden Pond - 8/10 Pretty good movie. Wonderful cinematography and a look at a rather dysfunctional family that learns to grow and adapt. The Godfather III - 7/10 Good cinematography and fitting end. Fat Man and Little Boy - 6/10 About the invention of the atomic bomb. Runaway Bride - 8/10 A nice romantic comedy. I Am Not Your Negro - 8/10 Solid movie, well worth watching. The Naked Gun - 7/10 Leslie Nielsen was awesome in this. Blade Runner: The Final Cut - 8/10 Glad I gave this movie another try. It's so much better without the voiceover narration. Solid acting and cinematography. An Inconvenient Sequel - Truth to Power - 7/10 A pretty good documentary about Al Gore continuing to fight for the environment. Sonic the Hedgehog - 6/10 Liked Sonic and his humor, was disappointed in Dr. Robotnik and his humor. Cringed at a lot of it. Spoiler Loved seeing Tails. Superman - Red Son - 7/10 Liked this ok enough. Pretty good story and take on Superman's life if he lived over in the Soviet Union. Contagion - 8/10 Very good movie about how a virus spreads. Really frightening and relevant these days. Onward- 8/10; but in terms of overall, including life lessons, 10/10. It's a solid cartoon that teaches the main character to believe in himself and grow and for his older brother to do the same as well, in his own way. Just saw Scoob! and really liked it. It had me laughing in parts and could relate to Shaggy at the beginning of the film. It's a movie with a sense of humor, kindness and a heart. 8/10 Earth to Echo - 6/10 Pretty good movie. It was a bit weak in parts, but it still had a wonderful friendship moral to it.
Spoiler: Movies Seen January & February Bombshell - theater Michelle Wolf: Nice Lady - Hulu 6 Underground - Netflix The Art of Self-Defense - Hulu Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker IMAX 3D/IMAX - AMC/AMC Richard Jewell - AMC Inside Man: Most Wanted - Netflix Spies in Disguise 3D - AMC Little Women (2019) - AMC 1917 BigD - AMC Anna and the Apocalypse - Hulu Unfriended - Hulu Unfriended: Dark Web - Hulu Unfriended: Dark Web - Extended Version - Hulu The Sun is Also a Star - Hulu Underwater - AMC Bad Boys for Life IMAX/2D - AMC/AMC Just Mercy - AMC Dolittle - AMC The Turning - AMC MST3K: The Killer Bees - YouTube MST3K: Samson vs the Vampire Women - YouTube MST3K: The Incredible Melting Man - YouTube Uncut Gems - AMC The Last Full Measure - AMC The Gentlemen - AMC Tom Papa: You're Doing Great! - Netflix MST3K: Squirm - YouTube Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) 2D/IMAX - Alamo Drafthouse/AMC The Rhythm Section - AMC MST3K: Track of the Moon Beast - YouTube Parasite - AMC Jeff Garlin: Our Man in Chicago - Netflix Fantasy Island (2020) - AMC Mark Maron: Too Real - Netflix The Call of the Wild BigD - AMC Mark Maron: Thinky Pain - Netflix MST3K: Fire Maidens of Outer Space - YouTube MST3K: The Screaming Skull - YouTube The Invisible Man IMAX (2020) - AMC Impractical Jokers: The Movie - AMC Sonic the Hedgehog - AMC The Foreigner - Netflix Marc Maron: End Times Fun - Netflix Onward IMAX - AMC The Way Back - AMC The Hunt - AMC Bloodshot BigD - AMC Emma. (2020) - AMC The Assignment - Netflix A Simple Favor - Hulu Doom: Annihilation - Netflix The Russia House - Hulu Spenser Confidential - Netflix The Other Guys - Netflix Portrait of a Lady on Fire - Hulu War Dogs - Hulu Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story - Hulu Christopher Titus: Born with a Defect - YouTube Disney Nature Elephant - Disney Plus Christopher Titus: Angry Pursuit of Happiness - YouTube Christopher Titus: Voice in My Head - YouTube Christopher Titus: AMERiGEDDON - YouTube After seeing bits & pieces of Dodgeball over the years, I finally watched it all the way through. It actually was pretty funny, in a very stupid way. Made me laugh, which was what I was looking to do at the time I picked to watch it. Christopher Titus has been adding his standup specials to his YouTube channel. Watched a few of 'em. Still can't top Norman Rockwell is Bleeding, but they are still entertaining. Watched a nature documentary about an elephant herd in Africa. Beautifully shot, mildly informative. Recently added Starz & Showtime to my Hulu account, but have spent most of my free time watching NCIS and playing videogames lately.
Spoiler 6 Underground (9/10) Birds of Prey (2020) (7/10) Code Geass: Lelouche of the RE:Surrection (9/10) Eureka 7 HiEvolution Movie 2: Anemone (7/10) Uncut Gems (6/10) Recently Seen: Rascal Does Not Dream of Dreaming Girl (9/10) Running Total: 6