Rate the last movie you watched (NO SPOILERS)

[Asgard]

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Amazing blockbuster movie 9/10

Harley Quinn - Birds of Prey
Super funny 8/10
(I just imagined that I had never seen or heard something of Birds of Prey.)

[ParisDean]

Iron Man (2008) - After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.

With my extra free time during this global pandemic, I'm revisiting in order the Marvel Cinematic Universe series of films, most of which I haven't seen since they were screened in theaters. This was a great beginning to the franchise with Robert Downey Jr, absolutely nailing the character of Tony Stark. 8/10

[Hellboy]

Knives Out - 7.5/10

Enjoyable murder mystery with a stellar ensemble cast. Reminiscent of a classic Agatha Christie whodunnit. Good fun.

[statman]

Men in Black: International - 3.5/10

[risingstar]

Extraction -- 8/10
Chris H. is a genuine action movie star. However, I think if he had just a bit more personality and charisma, he would have the potential to be a mega star a la Stallone and Arnold.

[Hellboy]

Brawl in Cell Block 99 - 8/10

Brutal, riveting film and definitely one of Vince Vaughn’s strongest performances. It’s pretty violent, dark stuff but narratively speaking I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Sticks with you.

[ParisDean]

Au Hasard Balthazar (1966) - The story of a mistreated donkey and the people around him. A study on saintliness and a sister piece to Bresson's Couchette.

This is another movie I watched twice to get a proper grasp of its legacy. It's a highly regarded film, considered one of the best ever made and while I do think it's indeed very good and the religious symbolism clever, it didn't completely sway me. 8/10

[Quicksilver]

watched some awesome movies this weekend...long post incoming.......

Vampyr (1932) - decided it was time to revisit this classic after seeing it on ParisDeans vampire list and im SO glad I did. Those expecting fangs, bats, garlic and other stereotypical tropes might be dissapointed (or very, very pleasantly surprised!) This movie is more about the Vampyr being a plague to the people in the village, corrupting them, controlling them, and oppressing them, and the vampiric presence is very clearly felt even while barely appearing on screen. To say this movie is bizarre is an understatement, the Vampyr is only the tip of the iceberg...ghostly shadows dancing on walls, images moving in reverse, shadows moving independently of their owners, out of body experiences, a mysterious dark man with a scythe, skeletal hands, this movie was like dreaming with your eyes open. The director and cinematographer discovered various effects while filming that they used to give the movie a dream like look and feel, camera angles make the settings seem claustrophobic, other camera angles from the perspective of a dead body in a coffin, which has been often imitated but originated in this movie. All in all this movie was really, really, ahead of its time which probably lead to it being initially disliked upon release, including an incident at a theater where the whole audience started rioting because they wanted their money back they hated it so much! It seems to me like the events of the movie are in fact a dream or a vision of the protagonist, who at the beginning of the movie is mentioned in the opening text as being obsessed with the occult and a "dreamer" and what follows can only be explained as a nightmarish fairytale, the latter being emphasized with the back story of the Vampyr being explained throughout the movie by on screen text 'pages' from a book left by a mysterious man. Interesting to note, this movie was made as a silent film but also during the transition to more dialogue in film, so while they did still use the traditional on screen text, there was also some select dialogue here and there, I felt the combination added to the dreamlike quality of the movie. This movie is nothing short of a masterpiece...haunting, mesmerizing, it will stay with you long after the credits roll - 10/10

Let's Scare Jessica to Death (1971) - more like let's bore the viewer to death...I did not see the appeal in this movie, perhaps I didnt understand it or something, it seems to be positively reviewed by most people based on what I read but it just didnt do it for me. I can't say much without going into spoiler territory but its about a woman who is released from a mental institution and is put in a situation where something very wrong is happening and she doesn't understand if she is going crazy again or if something more sinister is at work behind the scenes (sounds better than it was lol) Normally I have no issue with slow burn movies, hell most of my favorite movies are slow burns, this one slowly burnt but never rewareded the viewer with the payoff at the end - 5/10

Lincoln (2012) - I'm a fan of Daniel Day Lewis so I knew this was going to be good because this guy simply doesn't make bad movies. Although its not my favorite of his films (that would go to the amazing 'there will be blood') his performance was remarkable and easily the best part of the film (it didnt hurt that he also had a great supporting cast to help him, including Tommy Lee Jones, Sally Field, Joseph Gordon Levitt, James Spader, Lee Pace, Adam Driver, and Jackie Earle Hayley!) I'm surprised this movie never became more mainstream, especially being directed by Steven Spielberg, but I guess it didnt have enough action or explosions for the average movie goer and probably bored them as it was definitely a movie about the performances first and foremost. I did learn quite a bit about the time period and it was interesting getting a better idea of who Abraham Lincoln was and what he stood for - 8.5/10

The Thing (1982) - I had to rewatch this movie, I couldnt get it out of my head, and I was immediately reminded why. This movie is just phenomenal in every way. Atmospheric, ominous, mysterious, I simply loved every second and it just gets better and better each time I watch. There is something so visceral about this movie, but also so much that is subtle, such as the beautiful lighting, the breathtaking scenary and great music that add a lot to this movie, elements like that which really elevate it and not something you'd expect in a movie about a shape shifting alien, but this movie really transcends that genre and shows that just because it has a gross monster doesnt mean it cant be beautiful at the same time. I really like that they take the time to flesh out all the characters, they are all interesting and you can really feel the camaraderie, it makes it actually impactful when something happens to them. Another great thing about this movie is how ambiguous it is at the end, the mystery behind it all, I loved reading all the different theories about what happens at the end, who is left, who may be the thing, who isn't etc, and it seems like that has been ferociously debated over the years, with even the people involved in the movie never confirming or denying (I have my thoughts, i'd love to hear what you all think) but to me it seemed like paranoia and unknown is the whole point of the movie, I dont think a definitive answer was ever on the agenda and im glad it wasn't because thinking and pondering a movie long after its over is one of the best treats one can have as a viewer, and this is one of the best - 10/10

The Thing (2011) - first time watching the prequel and I can see why it got a mixed reception from the fans. Unlike the original it varied in two critical ways which really hurt it: the characters were undeveloped and unlikeable, and they used pretty much no practical effects so they really over relied on CGI (very poor CGI might I add) apparently they were planning on using practical effects, but then had a falling out with the company doing those effects and had to rely on CGI at the last moment. The best part of this movie is not the movie itself, but the background it adds to the 1982 version, despite the quality of the prequel overall, it does flesh out the original and make it an even more fulfilling experience to watch, and for that reason alone it is worth it. Its also cool how the ending of the prequel leads RIGHT into the beginning of the 1982 version, seeing that dog run across the ice means so much more now. The director of the prequel definitely did have an eye for visual details and did a realy good job in that regard, but he missed out on character development, atmosphere, and practical effects. It was cool learning how split face was made, and seeing other easter eggs from the original (the block of ice, the axe in the door, the suicide body at the base etc) so it was a mixed bag but overall im glad it exists - 8/10

[TNovak]

Originally Posted by Hellboy

Brawl in Cell Block 99 - 8/10

Brutal, riveting film and definitely one of Vince Vaughn’s strongest performances. It’s pretty violent, dark stuff but narratively speaking I’ve never seen anything quite like it. Sticks with you.

I really liked this one as well

Originally Posted by Quicksilver

The Thing (2011) - first time watching the prequel and I can see why it got a mixed reception from the fans. Unlike the original it varied in two critical ways which really hurt it: the characters were undeveloped and unlikeable, and they used pretty much no practical effects so they really over relied on CGI (very poor CGI might I add) apparently they were planning on using practical effects, but then had a falling out with the company doing those effects and had to rely on CGI at the last moment. The best part of this movie is not the movie itself, but the background it adds to the 1982 version, despite the quality of the prequel overall, it does flesh out the original and make it an even more fulfilling experience to watch, and for that reason alone it is worth it. Its also cool how the ending of the prequel leads RIGHT into the beginning of the 1982 version, seeing that dog run across the ice means so much more now. The director of the prequel definitely did have an eye for visual details and did a realy good job in that regard, but he missed out on character development, atmosphere, and practical effects. It was cool learning how split face was made, and seeing other easter eggs from the original (the block of ice, the axe in the door, the suicide body at the base etc) so it was a mixed bag but overall im glad it exists - 8/10

That's how I feel about this as well and as many times as I have seen the Thing the fact that they go everything right as to what Mac and Doc found when they got there right down to the ax in the wall really made me like it. It is really hard to live up to a movie as awesome as the Thing so this prequel was bound to come up short but saying "I'm glad it exists" is exactly how I felt without knowing how to put it in words exactly.

[Quicksilver]

Originally Posted by TNovak

I really liked this one as well



That's how I feel about this as well and as many times as I have seen the Thing the fact that they go everything right as to what Mac and Doc found when they got there right down to the ax in the wall really made me like it. It is really hard to live up to a movie as awesome as the Thing so this prequel was bound to come up short but saying "I'm glad it exists" is exactly how I felt without knowing how to put it in words exactly.

Agreed, the prequel never would have lived up to the 1982 version (regardless of having practical effects or not) knowing that, the best a fan could ask for is that it makes the 1982 version even more deep and thought provoking, which it does, so I'll ultimately consider that a win