Movie Night (Official Movie Discussion Thread)

Primitive War






This is one of the best bad movies I've ever watched. Sure at the core of the story characters come up with one of worst ideas and objectives ever but at least there's some very good action sequences and kills. The first thirty minutes are for the most part boring but at least there's one good gun fight and Jeremy Piven who's in the movie every twenty minutes or so,spitting out orders and giving a nod to his Entourage character. The CGI was bad at times reminding me of the oddly illuminated dinosaurs in a stamp book i had when I was a kid. I did like a standout action sequence in a cave,a good jumpscare moment. How the soldiers reacted to the dinosaurs and took them on was entertaining and funny. There's actually a couple of action sequences that should have been in the 2002 movie Reign of Fire. Also what they come up with as the cure for being addicted to morphine was pretty amusing.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 6
 
Him




PRAISE: When this movie about a promising young football player (Tyriq Withers), invited to train at the isolated compound of a dynasty team's aging QB1 leans into a more Whiplash vibe it worked for me. Withers and as the legendary quarterback Isaiah White, Marlon Wayans turn in very good performances especially when its the two actors in one on one scenes. I even liked the freaky looking Julia Fox as White’s wife, Elsie. The push it to or push it to the limit scenes worked for me.
The clearest things about the movie are the inserted messages about CTE Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the obsession with professional sports and the players,how a person's dream is going to come to fruition no matter what. So much so I'm going to block out everything that sounds and looks wrong. Some scenes really worked for me visually and I wish they had lasted longer. Sacrifices that are made on the football field and that feeling of that its for some greater good ,playing with pain all of this was solidly sold to me in the movies first half.

PROBLEMS: The movie slowly but surely falls apart because of how ambiguous it is. If had stayed in the lane of rivalry,trying to hold on to glory,or living someone else's dream the second half would have worked. Instead anything of substance is chopped away at by laughable bloody scenes, posturing and it felt like I was watching an experimental college film. I'm always amazed when there is a screenplay written by three different writers Justin Tipping, Skip Bronkie,and Zack Akers that just couldn't translate into something more that the audience can accept and go along with. Advertisers and the studio behind this film should be ashamed of how its being marketed. On the ride home i did my best to figure out what the movie was really about. There's just no real solid explanation even when
i wrestled with certain set ups in the story and said well this character was trying to accomplish this but if that was true the movie would have been over in ten minutes.



Scale of 1 to 10 a 4½
 
One Battle After Another





PRAISE: Director Paul Thomas Anderson returns to the big screen with a movie about a nemesis resurfacing after 16 years, and a band of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue the daughter of one of their own. Anderson sharply includes reflections of current events that the world has been a witness to including migrants, border control, separatism racism and ex pats. Its kind of crazy that the movie has a thread so similar to what happened in the news ( AN ABSOLUTELY COINCIDENTAL MOMENT} in its first weekend of release. But that's life isn't and I think the movie really captures the truth about relationships,revolutions and being a parent. Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson is at that age in which he is weathered enough to take on a role like this as a father,whos a bit clueless about how some things currently are in the world but his love for his daughter rings true. As his daughter Willa Ferguson Chase Infinit turns in a focused and believable performance as a young woman discovering more about her parents and her scenes with Sean Penn as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw crackle with all the right amounts of intensity and suspense. Penn portrays Lockjaw to a T. Even with all the superiority Lockjaw thinks he has and thinks should possess he's full of eccentrics,creepiness and contradictions.Teyana Taylor as Perfidia Beverly Hills is channeling Pam Grier and Grace Jones in her performance she demands attention from the characters in the film and from the audience and definitely got it from me. I think Benicio Del Toro as Sensei Sergio and Regina Hall as DeAndre were the most cool,calm and collected of the characters for the most part. Director Anderson does such a great job with the pacing. Blending in the frustrations and panic of the characters. He's even able to get some humor out of moments that should be anything but funny. The movie includes on of the best middle of nowhere, winding road action sequences I've ever seen on the big screen. So many moments ring true about responsibility, abandonment and loyalty and how it definitely wavers at times even with people we love and trust.


PROBLEMS: I definitely couldn't get on board with something that occurs, I even let out a Oh Come On Now once a scene tied to it started. A couple of predictable paths couldn't be ignored.

Scale of 1 to 10 an 8½
 
The Strangers Chapter 2



I like this one a bit better than The Strangers Chapter One. At least they try to throw in a few things that were exciting and unexpected. I enjoyed a couple of the jump scares. I also enjoyed the scenes of paranoia that were really well done. I did laugh at the creepiness of a particular character and the music that played while the character was speaking. Also how secretive some characters were was well done.But a good portion of it just didn't have the right flow. The set up of some scenes and how they were structured definitely needed some work. I kept thinking if they had only made a specific scene more believable and where it takes place more realistic it really would have worked.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 6
 
I didn't know my area had so many swifties. Movie theater was PACKED tonight with fans dressing up and taking pics by the posters lol

I went to see Rocks new movie but it was pretty empty and when I looked at the app it showed Swift's sold out in most of the time slots
 
Dead of Winter




PRAISE: I've always said even in the most quiet and distant of places with a population of twenty something sinister is happening. Emma Thompson as Barb gives one of her most effective performances as a woman on an emotional journey who happens upon trouble and then some. Thompson channels Frances McDormand from Fargo for a bit and that was fine by me.Judy Greer as Purple Lady is right there with her and I can't recall her being this edgy, tough and unflinching in a role before.Marc Menchaca as Camo Jacket turns in a performance that is likely to the bone real and effective. Director
Brian Kirk and Writers Dalton Leeb and Nicholas Jacobson-Larson know just what to do when it comes to shoot outs,fights and violence. I felt the pain and frustration of the characters and even the coldness that surrounded them. I swear I shivered a few times. I liked the unique paths this thriller took. I also thought the flashbacks hit all the right emotional notes.


PROBLEMS: A couple of characters not doing the sensible thing kind of bugged me.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 9
 
Play Dirty




Never ever go to your job on your day off

Shane Black has rarely dissapointed me as a writer and director and in this movie he really does try to keep things moving in the most involving ways. The movie is about an expert thief rolling out the biggest heist of his life.At the core of this movie is Parker the same character from Payback in which he was portrayed by Mel Gibson, and in Parker in which he was recently portrayed by Jason Statham this time aorund he is portrayed by Mark Wahlberg. Wahlberg portrays parker with a bit more sarcasm and angry frustration than the aforementioned actors but i think he flows right along with the frantic and fun screenplay. As Zen Rosa Salazar is sexy and stunning. I havent seen her big,exspressive lovely eyes in awhile. LaKeith Stanfield was fun as Grofield who has trust issues and then some.Fun and involving action sequences. In a standout action sequence Black brings one of my nightmares about NYC subway trains to live action. Black infuses his usual hectic holiday tropes which i didnt mind at all. There are a host of other actors in the film including Keegan Michael Key as Ed Mackey, Chukwudi Iwuji as Phineas Paul and Nat Wolff as Kincaid.


PROBLEMS : There should have been more displays of raw emotion especially when a few twists occur in the film. The movie is overdone and is filled with to many brief side characters . Some that are obnoxious with antics that are painfully unfunny. Fifteen minutes could have definitely been shaved off.


Scale of 1 to 10 a 7
 
After The Hunt






PRAISE: Sometimes movies walk that fine line of being to ambiguous or not enough ambiguity. I think this movie about A college professor finding herself at a personal and professional crossroads when a star student levels an accusation against one of her colleagues provides enough right into the almost last scene of the film. It plays with morality, biases,contempt,superiority and the Me Too movement in stunning and involving ways. The cast is great including Julia Roberts as Alma Imhoff,
Ayo Edebiri as Maggie Resnick, Andrew Garfield as Hank Gibson,Michael Stuhlbarg as Frederik Imhoff, Chloe Sevigny as Dr. Kim Sayers, and Lio Mehiel as Alexand they really give it their all as the characters have their own secrets,childishness, and frustrations on display. The swiftness of being canceled is on full display and I didn't know who i should have had empathy during a good portion of the movie the accused or the accuser. The movie sets up some good threads that instantly made me curious. I found myself hanging on every word of the characters until I couldn't but I will talk about that later.When the claws come out and the tension is off the charts its one of the best moments I've seen in a movie. The wall of defense for a character I was thinking oh its because of a connection but its far more deeper, personal and shocking than what I thought it would be, so another great section of the movie.

PROBLEMS: Director Luca Guadagnino was likely trying to give the movie a realistic campus feel by filming in loud bars as students and professors need their breaks from reality but it drowned out what the characters were saying. The movie does meander here and there with a few drawn out scenes that didnt add up to much. Definitely a slow burn here and there.


Scale of 1 to 10 an 8
 
The Smashing Machine





PRAISE: When Biopics focus on a specific time period of a person's life it can be kind of tricky and I always question are we getting to the soul and drive of the person. In this movie about MMA fighter Mark Kerr, and it is inspired by the acclaimed 2002 documentary of the same name that followed Kerr's life and career its the performances of the two main actors and the people that they are based on which gives the film its punch. Dwayne Johnson is excellent as Kerr,completely immersing himself in the role while letting his own mannerisms shine through. The confidence, pride and even arrogance was compelling to watch. Actually reminding me of Arnold Schwarzenegger in Pumping Iron. As his girlfriend Dawn, Emily Blunt does great a great job going from being supportive and loving to needy and toxic. I thought the film did a great job of displaying being humbled and only seeing and hearing yourself that not only effects the person but the relationship a person is in. A couple of the matches are quite involving as Director Benny Safdie zooms in closely to the hard hitting and bloody matches. Not knowing about the outcome of specific matches made me more involved especially when it came to the relationship between Kerr and Mark Coleman portrayed with a naturalness by Ryan Bader.

PROBLEMS: Portions of the movie were less involving. It felt like padding was added especially the lead up to a couple of matches. I found myself getting distracted as the matches were talked up. Then its the feeling of the movie not being to the core completeness of Kerr. But I guess that's what the documentary was for, but I still needed more.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 7½
 
Roofman






PRAISE: Watching this movie I recalled two stranger than fiction stories. One was the story of a guy who knew that in a local check cashing place stacks of food stamps and cash would not be in a safe but left behind the protective glass in various clerks windows so in the middle of the night he used every tool he had to get through the roof and steal the food stamps and cash. Two the story of a couple who lost their reservation for a hotel so they spent their nights in a twenty four hour Walmart. This movie goes down a similar path and its the true story of former soldier and professional thief Jeffrey Manchester who finds a hideout inside a Toys "R" Us, surviving undetected for months while planning his next move. To pull off a few situations Manchester finds himself in he has to be charming and then some and Channing Tatum in his portrayal of Manchester he has exceptional and perfect charm,in fact this is on of Tatums best performances. Also high praise to Kirsten Dunst as Leigh Wainscott a woman Manchester starts a romantic and more relationship with. Dunst is another actress that I find myself completely believable in a role in which she is a mother and no nonsense about what she wants in life. One of the best moments in the movie is watching Manchester regain what he once had in his life so much so for a few moments i forgot what he was up to.It was astonishing to watch such a smart person do absolutely dumb things. As Mitch, Peter Dinklage is at his obnoxious and uncaring best. As fellow Army vet Steve ,LaKeith Stanfield was pretty good as a man whi sees right through Manchester. There is a great realization moment between two characters that was perfectly done.

PROBLEMS: I wish more had been done with a couple of side characters, i liked their small town vibe. A couple of moments were very hard for me to buy into. There was a very predictable moment.

Scale of 1 to 10 an 8
 
Black Phone 2





PRAISE: This sequel takes place four years after escaping the clutches of The Grabber, 17-year-old Finn and his psychic sister Gwen are tormented anew.
I liked that the film raises the stakes in various threads in the film that were interesting. Its more of a dive into the past and the main characters connections to it. The characters are still greatly portrayed by Mason Thames as Finney Blake
Madeleine McGraw as Gwen Blake and Gwen is still dishing out salty dialogue and insults. There are also good turns by excellent Demian Bichir, and Arianna Rivas. The blood and gore are provided in doses but this is not completely a gore fest and there are definitely scenes in which it could have leaned into it big time. Everything is in place as it should be especially characters dealing with trauma and then some. I liked the direction of the action and some horrific visual moments that were very haunting and shocking to watch. Ethan Hawke once again provides enough sinister creepiness as the Grabber when he's actually in the movie

PROBLEMS: The movie is a bit lacking in originality this time around. I could easily pick out what horror movies the movie was borrowing from. There are some scenes and situations I couldn't fully embrace. Definitely not as involving as the first movie. Some parts of the movie dragged so much i started thinking should i go to the grocery
store or Burger King after the movie.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 6½
 
The Home





This horror flick does have its good moments in its story about a graffiti artist named Max ( Pete Davidson), who works at a retirement home as part of his court-ordered community service and begins noticing strange occurrences relating to the home's elderly residents. There's some really good haunting imagery especially the Red Room scenes which I wish there was more of. The movie slowly but surely becomes a gorefest as Max is put through the paces and I struggled with the pacing as more was revealed about what's going on at the assisted living home. There are quite a few unintentional laughs especially when Davidson looks like he's going to laugh at or takes his time to react to the horrific antics of the characters within the flick. I actually liked the twist as it did its best to be original. The overacting from the cast was pretty funny. Oh and some unique and good kills were fun to watch.

Scale of 1 to 10 a 5½
 
Anemone




PRAISE: The undeniable thing about this film is that Director Ronan Day-Lewis,and Cinematographer and Ben Fordesman have a great eye for film making. The visuals are stunning and then the film delves into the characters portrayed by
Daniel Day-Lewis as Ray Stoker, Sean Bean as Jem Stoker,Samantha Morton as Nessa and Samuel Bottomley as Brian. After an eight year hiatus Day-Lewis still displays all of the right intensity and the film couples that intensity with a slow reveal of what's happening and what happened between the characters. As I watched the characters i did wonder what brought about their pain ,anger and sorrow. What lines were crossed,who was wronged? That drew me into the movie. I did enjoy several disturbing monologues and it fleshed out a couple of the characters.

PROBLEMS: The pacing is to slow. There was not enough in the movie to fully grab my attention. Sure i think a movie should give me a minute or two to reflect on what was said but not in a way that makes moments feel like a chore I'm trying to get through. This is the type of movie I could turn on as background noise as if I'm listening to a novel on tape. But when the music swells and there is silence between the characters that's the cue to turn to it and take in the visuals.

Scale of 1 to 6
 
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