Spoiler: Movies Seen in January, February & March Sausage Party - DVD Jen Kirkman: Just Keep Livin'? - Netflix Passengers 2D - theater Live by Night - theater Bridesmaids - redbox Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children - redbox Hidden Figures - theater xXx: The Return of Xander Cage - theater MST3K: The Corpse Vanishes - HuluPlus MST3K: Moon Zero Two - HuluPlus MST3K: The Black Scorpion - HuluPlus MST3K: Ring of Terror - HuluPlus MST3K: Cave Dwellers - HuluPlus MST3K: Fugitive Alien - HuluPlus MST3K: The Unearthly - HuluPlus MST3K: The Castle of Fu-Manchu - HuluPlus MST3K: The Giant Gila Monster - HuluPlus MST3K: Teenagers from Outer Space - HuluPlus MST3K: Attack of the Giant Leeches - HuluPlus MST3K: The Killer Shrews - HuluPlus MST3K: Hercules Unchained - HuluPlus John Wick - DVD Jaws 2 - Netflix The Agony and the Ecstasy - Netflix John Wick: Chapter 2 - theater Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 2D - theater Bill Burr: Let it Go - Live & Uncut - Netflix Bill Burr: You People Are All the Same - Netflix Bill Burr: I'm Sorry You Feel That Way - Netflix Bill Burr: Walk Your Way Out - Netflix Silver Streak - Netflix Trevor Noah: Afraid of the Dark - Netflix Jaws: The Revenge - Netflix The Nanny Diaries - Netflix Black or White - Netflix Nightcrawler - Netflix Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Boys - Netflix Hard Candy - Netflix Marvel's Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell - Netflix Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio - DVD Mike Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes - Netflix Amy Schumer: The Leather Special - Netflix For the Love of Spock - Netflix I Am Your Father - Netflix Pumping Iron - Netflix Jesus Camp - Netflix Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made - Netflix Batkid Begins - Netflix The Imitation Game - Netflix August: Osage County - Netflix High-Rise - Netflix Logan - theater The Age of Spin: Dave Chappelle Live at the Hollywood Palladium - Netflix Deep in the Heart of Texas: Dave Chappelle Live at Austin City Limits - Netflix Richard Pryor: Live and Smokin' - Netflix I rewatched the X-Men / Wolverine movies on DVD the last few days, went with production order rather than attempting the chronological order. Got a plan to go see Logan again on Monday. Tonight, I watched the 1971 standup from Richard Pryor, which seemed to have been filmed in a coffee shop/café with three cameras. Sadly, aside from a couple of jokes, it wasn't very funny. Too many shit & fart jokes, and with his junkie impersonation in the end, it got too serious, not enough laughs. It was only 45 minutes, but his later specials were so much better.
Spoiler Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (8/10) John Wick Chapter 2 (9/10) Kizumonogatari Movie 1: Tekketsu (9/10) Logan (8/10) Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure (8/10) Mall Rats (8/10) Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale (9/10) Trinity Seven: Eternity Library and Alchemic Girl (8/10) Underworld: Blood Wars (7/10) Recently Seen: Ghost in the Shell (2017) (7) Running Total: 10
I'm late to this, but since I'm currently unemployed I've had a lot of time to watch movies. Here are some I've watched this year: Rogue One (2016) What can I say? One of the better Star Wars movies, and surely the darkest in tone. I didn't mind the CG Moff Tarkin, but I see how he might creep some people out. Doctor Strange (2016) Out of the 14 Marvel movies released so far, I'd rate this one around 10th place. It's not a bad film; I just wasn't blown away by it. Perhaps if I had seen it on the big screen, instead of at home, I would be more impressed. The Red Turtle (2016) The latest animated movie from Studio Ghibli, this time from a French filmmaker. It's about an unnamed man who is marooned on a deserted island. The movie has no dialogue, although the man does shout "hey" a few times at passing ships. I won't try to describe the direction the movie goes in, but it isn't a remake of Castaway. Raise the Red Lantern (1991) With the release of The Great Wall (which I haven't seen), I decided to do a mini-marathon of Zhang Yimou films. First up was Raise the Red Lantern, starring Gong Li as a woman pressured into marrying a rich man who already has three wives. Of course, a rivalry develops between the women, and many unhappy events ensue. Not a feel-good movie, but a memorable one for the acting and photography. Not One Less (1999) The second Yimou film in my marathon. It concerns a 13-year-old girl who is made temporary teacher at a school in a rural village. Since several students have left school recently, she vows that there will be "not one less" when the regular teacher returns. The novelty of this movie is that most of the roles are filled by amateurs whose real lives are similar to the parts they play. Because of this, the film has a documentary feel to it, although the story is purely fictional. (Later, I plan to watch Hero [2002], my favorite Yimou epic.) The Magic Serpent (1966) From Toei Studios comes a very campy but entertaining blend of sword-and-sorcery, martial arts, and giant monster battles. To be fair, the kaiju action is limited to the beginning and end of the movie. In between is a wacky adventure featuring a hero who is so powerful that if you cut off his head, he just puts it back on again (after mocking you, of course). Lots of fun, if you don't expect much from the special effects. Passengers (2016) Not quite what I expected, but not a bad movie. I saw it for free, so I can't complain. Snake Girl and the Silver-Haired Witch (1968) A somewhat obscure Japanese horror story, the plot involves a young girl who is adopted by a couple who turn out to be her real parents. Also living in their house is another daughter (the "snake girl") who resents her new sister and regularly torments her. There's also a "witch" although there's little magic as such in the movie. Kuroneko (1968) Another Japanese horror story, this one based on an old fairy tale. Two women are raped and murdered by a group of wandering samurai. They are sent back as avenging spirits, committed to killing any samurai they encounter. The tension comes when the son/husband of the two women returns from war, now a samurai himself. The ending is unsatisfying, but the emphasis here is on mood rather than action. Evelyn Prentice (1934) I've become a fan of William Powell and Myrna Loy, so when I came across this movie, I thought I'd give it a chance. It's one of their lesser known films. Loy plays a wife who toys with having an affair after she learns that her lawyer husband had a brief dalliance with a client (now ended). Nothing really happens between her and the other man, but he winds up getting murdered, and Loy believes she is the killer. There's a lot of court room drama, of course, and a few nice twists along the way. Rendezvous (1936) Another William Powell flick. Loy's not in this one; Rosalind Russell plays the female lead this time. The film is set in WWI, with Powell as a master code-breaker. Although he's good in his role, the movie as a whole is not one of his better ones. Still worth watching once, however. Rodan (1956) Varan the Unbelievable (1958) The Mysterians (1959) Gorath (1962) I decided to do a rewatch of some of my favorite Toho sci-fi films, and these were the first of the bunch. Rodan is considered a classic of the kaiju genre, but I like Varan a lot as well. Underrated in my estimation, with a great monster design, adequate special effects, and an excellent Akira Ifukube score (much of which would be recycled in later films). As for the other two, both take themselves pretty seriously given the silliness of the proceedings, and I don't mind that at all. It's one of the things I like about Toho movies. The Mysterians are a group of invading aliens who just want our women and a nice plot of land, while Gorath concerns a rogue star headed for a collision with earth. Since Gorath can't be blown up, scientists instead build mammoth rocket engines in Antarctica, which are to be fired to move the planet out of the way. There's also a giant walrus around to make things difficult.
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January, February & March Sausage Party - DVD Jen Kirkman: Just Keep Livin'? - Netflix Passengers 2D - theater Live by Night - theater Bridesmaids - redbox Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children - redbox Hidden Figures - theater xXx: The Return of Xander Cage - theater MST3K: The Corpse Vanishes - HuluPlus MST3K: Moon Zero Two - HuluPlus MST3K: The Black Scorpion - HuluPlus MST3K: Ring of Terror - HuluPlus MST3K: Cave Dwellers - HuluPlus MST3K: Fugitive Alien - HuluPlus MST3K: The Unearthly - HuluPlus MST3K: The Castle of Fu-Manchu - HuluPlus MST3K: The Giant Gila Monster - HuluPlus MST3K: Teenagers from Outer Space - HuluPlus MST3K: Attack of the Giant Leeches - HuluPlus MST3K: The Killer Shrews - HuluPlus MST3K: Hercules Unchained - HuluPlus John Wick - DVD Jaws 2 - Netflix The Agony and the Ecstasy - Netflix John Wick: Chapter 2 - theater Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 2D - theater Bill Burr: Let it Go - Live & Uncut - Netflix Bill Burr: You People Are All the Same - Netflix Bill Burr: I'm Sorry You Feel That Way - Netflix Bill Burr: Walk Your Way Out - Netflix Silver Streak - Netflix Trevor Noah: Afraid of the Dark - Netflix Jaws: The Revenge - Netflix The Nanny Diaries - Netflix Black or White - Netflix Nightcrawler - Netflix Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Boys - Netflix Hard Candy - Netflix Marvel's Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell - Netflix Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio - DVD Mike Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes - Netflix Amy Schumer: The Leather Special - Netflix For the Love of Spock - Netflix I Am Your Father - Netflix Pumping Iron - Netflix Jesus Camp - Netflix Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made - Netflix Batkid Begins - Netflix The Imitation Game - Netflix August: Osage County - Netflix High-Rise - Netflix Logan - theater The Age of Spin: Dave Chappelle Live at the Hollywood Palladium - Netflix Deep in the Heart of Texas: Dave Chappelle Live at Austin City Limits - Netflix Richard Pryor: Live and Smokin' (1971) - Netflix Louis CK: 2017 - Netflix I watched the latest standup special from Louis CK yesterday, filmed for Netflix just a few weeks ago. He started off talking about abortions & ended with why he can't be a homosexual, with religion, education, parenting, and other stuff mixed in between. Pretty funny stuff, I got some laughs out of it.
I watched this film with a friend recently called Withnail and I. It's a British dark comedy which stars two of the Doctors (if you count the Shalka Doctor, if not then it's a Doctor and the Great Intelligence) that goes all over the place. It's really best going in blind; I didn't have a clue what it was going to be about ahead of time and wound up loving it. I think it's from '87 but it's set at the end of the 1960s.
Sequence Break ★★ 1/2 A Dark Song ★★★ Buster's Mal Heart ★★★ 1/2 Automatic at Sea ★★ Whiskey Galore (2016) ★★★ 1/2
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January, February & March Sausage Party - DVD Jen Kirkman: Just Keep Livin'? - Netflix Passengers 2D - theater Live by Night - theater Bridesmaids - redbox Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children - redbox Hidden Figures - theater xXx: The Return of Xander Cage - theater MST3K: The Corpse Vanishes - HuluPlus MST3K: Moon Zero Two - HuluPlus MST3K: The Black Scorpion - HuluPlus MST3K: Ring of Terror - HuluPlus MST3K: Cave Dwellers - HuluPlus MST3K: Fugitive Alien - HuluPlus MST3K: The Unearthly - HuluPlus MST3K: The Castle of Fu-Manchu - HuluPlus MST3K: The Giant Gila Monster - HuluPlus MST3K: Teenagers from Outer Space - HuluPlus MST3K: Attack of the Giant Leeches - HuluPlus MST3K: The Killer Shrews - HuluPlus MST3K: Hercules Unchained - HuluPlus John Wick - DVD Jaws 2 - Netflix The Agony and the Ecstasy - Netflix John Wick: Chapter 2 - theater Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 2D - theater Bill Burr: Let it Go - Live & Uncut - Netflix Bill Burr: You People Are All the Same - Netflix Bill Burr: I'm Sorry You Feel That Way - Netflix Bill Burr: Walk Your Way Out - Netflix Silver Streak - Netflix Trevor Noah: Afraid of the Dark - Netflix Jaws: The Revenge - Netflix The Nanny Diaries - Netflix Black or White - Netflix Nightcrawler - Netflix Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Boys - Netflix Hard Candy - Netflix Marvel's Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell - Netflix Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio - DVD Mike Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes - Netflix Amy Schumer: The Leather Special - Netflix For the Love of Spock - Netflix I Am Your Father - Netflix Pumping Iron - Netflix Jesus Camp - Netflix Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made - Netflix Batkid Begins - Netflix The Imitation Game - Netflix August: Osage County - Netflix High-Rise - Netflix Logan - theater The Age of Spin: Dave Chappelle Live at the Hollywood Palladium - Netflix Deep in the Heart of Texas: Dave Chappelle Live at Austin City Limits - Netflix Richard Pryor: Live and Smokin' (1971) - Netflix Louis CK: 2017 - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 Manos: The Hands of Fate - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 Catalina Caper - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 Eegah! - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 Future War - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 Hercules Against the Moon Men - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 Horrors of Spider Island - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 Jack Frost - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 Laserblast - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 Pod People - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 The Pumaman - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 Sidehackers - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 Space Mutiny - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 Time Chasers - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 Zombie Nightmare - Netflix Mystery Science Theater 3000 Indestructible Man - HuluPlus Ghost in the Shell (1995) - HuluPlus Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008) - HuluPlus So, I watched almost all twenty of the MST3K episodes Netflix added before "The Return" started. I skipped the ones I knew I'd seen for sure, though a couple of others seemed kinda familiar. Watching 'Indestructible Man' on Hulu right now. The other day, I watched the original GitS anime because I told a scifi geeky co-worker that I wanted to watch it before the new live action movie, and he was surprised I hadn't seen it already. Apparently, its something I should have done years ago. Pretty cool story, and some nice scifi ideas at play in it. Followed that with the 2.0 version, which is the same movie, but with random bits of CGI animation put in place of the handdrawn animation of the original. I still want to see the live action movie, its on a long list of stuff I just can't seem to get to the theater to see these days...
^The original Ghost in the Shell also has a 2004 Sequel. and couple of alternate timeline spinoff franchises called Stand Alone Complex and Arise if you liked the films. Personally, I think Stand Alone Complex is the best and most well-rounded GITS incarnation, though all of them are good. Spoiler: Full 2017 List Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (8/10) Ghost in the Shell (2017) (7) John Wick Chapter 2 (9/10) Kizumonogatari Movie 1: Tekketsu (9/10) Logan (8/10) Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure (8/10) Mall Rats (8/10) Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale (9/10) Trinity Seven: Eternity Library and Alchemic Girl (8/10) Underworld: Blood Wars (7/10) Recently Seen: The Fate of the Furious (9/10) Running Total: 11
Get Out (2017) ★★★1/2 - I don't think it's quite on the masterpiece level, but it looks like it will be the best horror film of the year.
Spoiler: Movies Seen in January, February & March Sausage Party - DVD Jen Kirkman: Just Keep Livin'? - Netflix Passengers 2D - theater Live by Night - theater Bridesmaids - redbox Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children - redbox Hidden Figures - theater xXx: The Return of Xander Cage - theater MST3K: The Corpse Vanishes - HuluPlus MST3K: Moon Zero Two - HuluPlus MST3K: The Black Scorpion - HuluPlus MST3K: Ring of Terror - HuluPlus MST3K: Cave Dwellers - HuluPlus MST3K: Fugitive Alien - HuluPlus MST3K: The Unearthly - HuluPlus MST3K: The Castle of Fu-Manchu - HuluPlus MST3K: The Giant Gila Monster - HuluPlus MST3K: Teenagers from Outer Space - HuluPlus MST3K: Attack of the Giant Leeches - HuluPlus MST3K: The Killer Shrews - HuluPlus MST3K: Hercules Unchained - HuluPlus John Wick - DVD Jaws 2 - Netflix The Agony and the Ecstasy - Netflix John Wick: Chapter 2 - theater Rogue One: A Star Wars Story 2D - theater Bill Burr: Let it Go - Live & Uncut - Netflix Bill Burr: You People Are All the Same - Netflix Bill Burr: I'm Sorry You Feel That Way - Netflix Bill Burr: Walk Your Way Out - Netflix Silver Streak - Netflix Trevor Noah: Afraid of the Dark - Netflix Jaws: The Revenge - Netflix The Nanny Diaries - Netflix Black or White - Netflix Nightcrawler - Netflix Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Boys - Netflix Hard Candy - Netflix Marvel's Hulk: Where Monsters Dwell - Netflix Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio - DVD Mike Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes - Netflix Amy Schumer: The Leather Special - Netflix For the Love of Spock - Netflix I Am Your Father - Netflix Pumping Iron - Netflix Jesus Camp - Netflix Raiders! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made - Netflix Batkid Begins - Netflix The Imitation Game - Netflix August: Osage County - Netflix High-Rise - Netflix Logan - theater The Age of Spin: Dave Chappelle Live at the Hollywood Palladium - Netflix Deep in the Heart of Texas: Dave Chappelle Live at Austin City Limits - Netflix Richard Pryor: Live and Smokin' (1971) - Netflix Louis CK: 2017 - Netflix MST3K Manos: The Hands of Fate - Netflix MST3K Catalina Caper - Netflix MST3K Eegah! - Netflix MST3K Future War - Netflix MST3K Hercules Against the Moon Men - Netflix MST3K Horrors of Spider Island - Netflix MST3K Jack Frost - Netflix MST3K Laserblast - Netflix MST3K Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders - Netflix MST3K Pod People - Netflix MST3K The Pumaman - Netflix MST3K Sidehackers - Netflix MST3K Space Mutiny - Netflix MST3K Time Chasers - Netflix MST3K Zombie Nightmare - Netflix MST3K Indestructible Man - HuluPlus Ghost in the Shell (1995) - HuluPlus Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (2008) - HuluPlus MST3K Tormented - HuluPlus MST3K The Beatniks - HuluPlus MST3K The Rebel Set - HuluPlus MST3K Monster A-Go-Go - HuluPlus MST3K The Day the Earth Froze - HuluPlus MST3K Bride of the Monster - HuluPlus MST3K Hercules and the Captive Women - HuluPlus MST3K Swamp Diamonds - HuluPlus MST3K Secret Agent Super Dragon - HuluPlus MST3K Gunslinger - HuluPlus Life (2017) - theater The Circle - theater Kubo and the Two Strings - Netflix Kevin Hart: What Now? - Netflix Kevin Hart: I'm a Grown Little Man - Netflix Watched some more classic episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 via HuluPlus. Went to the new AMC in Nacogdoches (which is just the old Carmike Cinemas with a few cosmetic changes in the lobby & preshow) to see a couple of matinees. Life was pretty good for a creepy alien monster loose on a space station movie, but the ending was totally obvious before the reveal. The Circle was not as good as I had hoped it would be considering the cast. Tom Hanks was cool, but he was in a supporting role. And it was Bill Paxton's final onscreen role, he played Emma Watson's father. Netflixed yesterday. LatTS was kinda dull. The animation was top notch, of course, but the story was a little boring. Kevin Hart...I just do not understand how he has been so successful. I don't like him in movies, but my nephews love him. So, I watched his latest (and possible last) standup special, where he sold out the Philadelphia Eagles football stadium. And it has a twenty minute pre-taped James Bond parody with Halle Berry & Don Cheadle. And in an hour & a half of watching this mess, I laughed one time, and it was during the ping pong story he told. That was it. I thought maybe I was too harsh, and watched his first standup special, and didn't laugh at all. How the hell...?!? And that concludes the month of April movie viewing for me. I did not get to the live action Ghost in the Shell - the closest theater still showing it is about 50 miles away, and the one showtime was 11:20 pm. Not gonna happen, I'll just wait for the DVD.
Spoiler The Fate of the Furious (9/10) Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (8/10) Ghost in the Shell (2017) (7) John Wick Chapter 2 (9/10) Kizumonogatari Movie 1: Tekketsu (9/10) Logan (8/10) Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure (8/10) Mall Rats (8/10) Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale (9/10) Trinity Seven: Eternity Library and Alchemic Girl (8/10) Underworld: Blood Wars (7/10) Recently Seen: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (8/10) Kizumonogatari Movie 2: Nekketsu (9/10) Running Total: 13
The Founder - Trapped inside an airplane traveling from NYC to San Diego - I really loved this movie, it was fantastically directed and the acting was incredible. Michael Keaton has reinvented himself so many times, it really is incredible.
Free Birds - B+ Shooter - B+ No Escape - C- Nine Lives - F The Departed - C Zootopia - B+ Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol 2 - A- A good sequel, hitting the right level of humor. The only qualm I have is that there needed to be more time spent on the character moments with Quill, Gamora/Nebula, Yondu/Rocket/Groot. There was sometimes where there was just more FX porn.
Spoiler The Fate of the Furious (9/10) Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (8/10) Ghost in the Shell (2017) (7) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (8/10) John Wick Chapter 2 (9/10) Kizumonogatari Movie 1: Tekketsu (9/10) Kizumonogatari Movie 2: Nekketsu (9/10) Logan (8/10) Lupin the 3rd: Operation Return the Treasure (8/10) Mall Rats (8/10) Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale (9/10) Trinity Seven: Eternity Library and Alchemic Girl (8/10) Underworld: Blood Wars (7/10) Recently Seen: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (8/10) Wonder Woman (8/10) The Mummy (2017) (7/10) Patriot's Day (8/10) Running Total: 17
27. Missing 411 ★ 28. Raw ★★★ 29. Hacksaw Ridge ★★★ 1/2 30. Power Rangers ★★ 31. American Fable ★ 32. Life ★★ 33. A Cure For Wellness ★★ 34. Kubo and the Two Strings ★★★