4o3v2h
Great animation as usual for Science Saru. I really liked this arc when reading the manga so I was pleased with how it turned out for the most part. Main complaints are that it's just episodes strung up together but they kept in the ad break/episode cuts so it was really awkward for a scene to end, and then start over again moments later. Dub (not my choice) was pretty alright. Ended in a weird spot for the show to pick up from but fine.
Finally, Jennifer Lopez Anaconda.
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A bit of a fall off from Dead Reckoning but still a fun ride.
Firstly, the movie is looooooong like the first part but pacing was really weird in spots that others may find off-putting. The "flow" as it were was a little weird. The set-pieces were pleasantly varied, some were tense while others were death-defying.
I'll hand it to McQuarrie for using events of the past M:I films, particularly one he had nothing to do with, as a critical plot element to the story of Reckoning. On that note, a character from the first film gets a fun closure, if a little sappy.
There was one bit that felt really forced and something that got pulled out of someone's ass and feel it's maybe sort of an "apology" for fans of the TV show. Really out of left field.
Finally, Gabriel gets got in the funniest way possible out of entire series that I busted up laughing. It's so fuckin' disrespectful.
Good god, Tom loves to run...
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Very interesting doc of a very interesting individual who does remind me a someone I knew during my teenage years who you could confuse for a twin even in some respects.
His stance on office politics somewhat mirrors my own, I just don't want to engage in the game. There's no value it to me other than to prop up some manager I couldn't care less about.
His personal relationships around me do hit some chords for me. Like with Mark. I have that type of person who's been my absolute best friend for 20+ years.
Other than that, it's interesting to see the side of the "victor" in special effects as it transitions from an afterthought into the mainstream, and the Pandora's Box that it comes with. Even with the clips showing from the 90's of peoples' fears of CGI actually happening. Kinda wild.
Worth watching for sure.
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Really mid. Paper thin plot, bad effects. Hartnett and Sackoff were the only good parts and that’s it. This a purely worse Bullet Train.
Wait for streaming…
Sorry, I’m a little heated. I campaigned for Friendship, but got vetoed for this…
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
OK, now that I've seen this after Coven, it makes a bit more sense. An interesting doc filled with real life characters. The entire time, I was in actual disbelief these are real people. The documentary overall did feel a little exploitative but probably was not the maker's intention.
Mark is just an interesting individual...
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
What.
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First Marvel film in a while that I liked and they seemed to have semi-recovered from the failed Kang storylines.
The cast overall was actually pretty decent. Pugh and Harbour being the highlights. Lewis Pullman, who I had to stare at for half the movie to realize he was Bill Pullman’s son when he suited up (I didn’t pay attention to the cast list), did fairly well too. Julia Louis-Dreyfus got to use a little more Veep energy this go around.
Plot wasn’t too bad. Actually a little more cohesive than I’m used to for a Marvel film. Possibly due to being more focused on the characters than set pieces. There was one character in the story that really came up short however. People who have seen the film will probably know what I’m talking about.
Speaking of set pieces, they were very subdued which I appreciated. Granted a majority of the cast can’t fly and only punch and shoot as someone in the film puts it.
Special effects, not bad. Fared better than Captain America: Brave New World entirely. The villain effects were great for how simple it was.
I’d say it’s at least worth checking out for a matinee showing. After credits gives a little more context of what will apparently happen in Marvel’s next big tent people film.
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Was already on my watchlist but current events moved it up to the top of the list. Timely!
Fantastically shot. There were many great shots throughout the film that I really have to applaud the cinematographer on. The auditorium scenes were my particular favorite. There was also pretty good blocking to go along with.
Sound wise, I found it really immersive listening with my good headphones on (since I was watching this late at night and didn't want to wake people). So many good, subtle sounds and whispers. Perfect for a papacy. The musical stings were rightfully piercing in the right spots.
Performances were great across the board, Fiennes and Tucci being the top of the heap in my opinion. Rossellini, despite not having many lines, was also pretty good.
The plot was fairly straightforward but perhaps in line with the "church thriller" aspect that it was going for. The ending twist came out of left field and fell sort of flat for me. More of a, "Huh, OK." type of moment. Didn't hate it, just I feel maybe they could have built upon it or something.
Otherwise, easy recommend.
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MBJ and Coogler really do their best work together.
It's an excellent period piece of the 1930's South that just happens to have a vampire movie jammed into it.
Michael B. Jordan does a great job playing the Smokestack Twins and clever use of being nicknamed Smoke and Stack. The effect was pretty good and I don't think I've ever seen it broken in some way. I also really enjoyed Delroy Lindo's performance, absolute perfect fit. Hailee Steinfeld and Wunmi Mosaku were just as effective. Miles Caton, a relative unknown to me, does a great job as a Pastor's son who yearns to be a Blues musician and just happens to be the twins' cousin.
The plot is straightforward and simple to follow. Learning the bits and pieces of the Twins' past since they left the Delta I found interesting. The music is the forefront of the story to the point of a pretty amazing set piece in the middle of the film. Coogler was cooking here.
The action was a bit brief but not a detriment at all. Some great character moments throughout.
Honestly, truly, please go see this and highly recommend staying for at the very least the mid-credits scene. It really elevated the film for me.
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
This was a fun movie, plot was somehow easy to follow despite all the uhhhhh all the things that happen in the film (sorry, not trying to give spoilers for a nearly 30 year old movie).
I like neo-noir and I like sci-fi. So this film really melds the 2 together pretty well and was enjoying the unraveling of the mystery. Great shots and cinematography. Really dug the lighting and and great use of color when the need calls for it.
Overall the cast was interesting. According to Letterboxd, I haven't seen much of Rufus Sewell and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. But in general, I thought he was pretty good here. Connelly, well, I'm an 80's kid and will forever be infatuated with her. She's great. William Hurt is great playing the hardboiled cop. For a good bit I thought half of the movie would be straight up following him. Sutherland is Sutherland, but man he was really edging into Peter Lorre territory with his acting here.
I enjoyed the costuming and make up of the Strangers. CG was edging on bad but able but what I really didn't care for was the bad chroma key overall. It was fairly obvious.
Recommended watch.
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Decided last minute to the check out the 4K restoration.
I don't need to say anything about this movie, it's essentially perfect. Voice acting, shot compositions, plot, music, animation quality. You know the rest.
The 4K transfer itself is pretty decent and even the bits that have some CG still look somewhat decent. Was worth seeing in the theater.
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
This film is incredibly French.
Almost everything in this film oozes style, wonderment and strange whimsy loaded with a dourness after taste. Set and prop design is actually a bit amazing, heavily reminding me of European comics. Cinematography is loaded with interesting shots and blocking with overall great lighting despite the overall color theory of the film being heavily in the browns. Really the only lacking bit here is the (fortunately) sparse CG. Just looks rough but not really enough to take me out of the film. The costumes, are overall good, despite the dirty, earthen tones overall, the costumes that have contrasting color pop without effort.
The cast, is something. The rare instance where almost everyone is a character actor with the looks to but absolutely not to any detriment. Ron Perlman, the absolute GOAT, is actually perfect to play the gentle giant, One and great call to have his speech be laconic. Dunno if on purpose because I'm not 100% sure if he does speak it in real life, but it's effective for the act. Miette (which my copy just uses the English translation, Crumb which I sort of didn't care for, should have left it as Miette in the subs), played by Judith Vittet, is the street smart kid gang leader who had some great acting here opposite of Perlman but was saddened to learn she stopped acting a few films after this one and went into costume design. The Octopus, was some great great acting between the two actresses. Krank and the clones were strangely delightful.
The plot was both straightforward and strange. The straightforward being One and his quest to reclaim his adopted little brother, Grub, kidnapped by a religious cyborg(?) cult and the B-plot with Miette dealing with the Octopus' juvenile crime ring she's a part of where One and Miette meet. The use of dreams plays a large role in an interesting fashion on the strange side.
This is an easy recommend if you're into weird foreign films or like Ron Perlman.
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Interesting spin of medieval folklore that takes place in Canada???
Not an amazing movie, but the cast really made it work. CG on the unicorns was a bit rough particularly when brightly lit.
Not a whole lot to say, other than it’s decent and short so it didn’t have any chance to linger on bad moments. Kills were good and a fun ending.
Probably best for streaming.
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Rewatched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Still a fascinating movie (really anything from the 1970's era views of NYC is fascinating to me). A solid 90-ish runtime that gets you from point A to B quick-like without a whole lot of dialogue which actually isn't a problem, the silent emoting and smoldering of Michael Beck's portrayal of Swan actually plays into his strengths. James Remar's hotheaded acting of Ajax is great (with some unfortunate of-the-era language). David Patrick Kelly is just a great psycho and the first time I watched Warriors was well after I was acquainted with him in Twin Peaks. Somehow I forgot Lynne Thigpen was the DJ until this rewatch. Roger Hill's Cyrus is awesome. Immensely quotable. How many times have you heard someone yell "CAN YOU DIG IT?" in your life or referenced in other media?
Plot wise, it's pretty plain but there were some issues I had that still carried over from my first time watching. It was obvious that Thomas G. Waites' character, Fox, was meant to be a bigger part of the story considering he was witness to Luther's shooting of Cyrus and interactions with Mercy but then he just suddenly gets murked half way through the movie? Kinda weird.
Lighting in the film is like 90% perfect. Great use of shadows, darkness and street lights. Just great. Where it falls apart is toward the end when daybreak happens and things just look, well, bad.
Fight choreography is just interesting. Each gang having their own thing and fighting style. Some fun bits with slow motion.
Music is just great, I don't know who's playing what. But it just fits.
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Man, what a fun and silly movie. This is up my alley.
Never once did I ever think that Jonathan Pryce could be a leading man but he does great and imagine my surprise that Robert De Niro was in this, a Terry Gilliam film! The set designs and props just fun to look at and totally absurd (which of course is the point). Really enjoyable! Holm, Palin and Hoskins are fun additions as well. Just a great a cast.
The plot is interesting but after decades of film making, some things are sort of old hat. The framework of it really reminded me of Repo Men almost down to a T. Pacing was pretty decent, didn't realize it was a just over 2 hour runtime until it was done. I was fairly engaged throughout. Great use of practical effects, even down to using simple perspective shifts and miniatures.
I am mad at myself for not seeing this sooner.
HARRY TUTTLE IS THE GREATEST MAN ALIVE!
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Totally unconventional action movie that is a decent romp.
You’re not really here for the plot but what they have works pretty well. The highlight is obviously the action and how they work with the no pain gimmick. For the most part, it’s great. Some smart ideas that end up being a bit more gorier than anticipated. Ends pretty much how you expect.
Fun popcorn movie.
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Rewatched for Nextlander Watchcast.
Didn't think I'd find myself rewatching this so soon but it was part of the theme of the month for the Watchcast, so hell yes I'll watch a great movie again.
My star rating is unchanged, this is honestly one of the more perfectly made movies in recent memory and deserves all of its praises and awards. The plot, the cinematography, the excellent acting. Really, truly, perfect.
There's nothing I can really say other than you should watch it if you still somehow didn't since its release.
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Absolute banger.
Amazing cast, I came into this movie almost blind so I was pleasantly surprised by Ruffalo and Collette’s appearances and performances. Just about perfect. Pattinson has great range and enjoyed his performance immensely. Overall great acting with the entire cast.
The story was pretty fun and interspersed with some almost philosophical thoughts but not fully explored. Twists executed pretty well that I tried not to guess how some plot points went. Despite it being based on a book, Bong pulled no punches on the ideas of class, even the bits about the preciousness of food, its rationing, the sharing and talks of calorie consumption seem like something he would write about. Almost Dune-like in the snippets shown when it is present or mentioned.
Instant classic. Highly recommend checking it out.
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Remarkably solid for a 70's film. There's not many of that era I can call the same as it's pretty much a black hole for me barring a few of the obvious standouts. Story beats were a little predictable however Redford and Newman's on screen charisma just makes you forget. Fun to see Robert Earl Jones, I him from Witness of all things that come immediately to mind.
Transfer quality of the copy I had seemed to be OK. Didn't ruin too much of the minimal special effects involved however the blood looked mostly hokey, obviously not the focus of the film and they're few and far between.
Music wise, not much to write home about, they sure got their money's worth for The Entertainer, that's for sure.
Fun watch for a just over 2 hour movie, pacing was decent that it didn't quite feel like 2 hours.
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Rewatched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
The generation's Wall Street.
Pretty sure this was the movie that really sold me on Ribisi after Saving Private Ryan. Just a great casting. Regarding casting, really Jamie Kennedy is the only weak link because I generally hate the dude. But he does play an effective piece of shit friend. Ben Affleck basically being a bargain basement Alec Baldwin from Glengarry Glen Ross. Perfect.
Boiler Room really is one of them white collar crime films that I put in the same platform as Wall Street (playfully quoted by several cast in a scene), The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short. A short list of films worth rewatching from time to time whenever the mood strikes really.
The plot despite being somewhat simple is executed effectively though some bits are a little half baked but doesn't detract in general. The film is basically experienced scene by scene in the moment.
The main character Seth Davis, the business savvy college dropout, desperate for approval from his father, a judge who can only see him as a screw up in varying ways. One of the more interesting dichotomies I still like in film making since it can be done in many ways. Here, it's done well, you can feel the generational trauma as Seth explains his younger years to Nia Long's character, Abbie, who I sorta felt for towards the end of the film. You'll know it when you see it. Vin Diesel, another Saving Private Ryan alum, is great despite being a secondary character, but he gets one of the better scenes also at the end. A likable character, better than Greg. I hate Greg.
Pretty decent soundtrack, very east coast rap centric of course. Great selection down the line.
One of those movies I saw at the right place and right time. 25 years later (literally a day away from it's anniversary the night I'm writing this) and this movie still whips.
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THERE'S A FLAMIN' HOT CHEETO IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
Let's get the bads out first. Plot was meh, just felt like a season 2 of the Falcon and the Winter Soldier TV show. CG was bad in too many spots and was very noticeable. Action could only go so far up until Red Hulk where things got a little more interesting. The movie throughout absolutely felt like the purported rewrites. Some bits just didn't feel like the fit well. But good for them ing that Norton's Incredible Hulk was a thing.
The goods. Giancarlo Esposito, still threatening when he plays bad guys. He understood the assignment. Would have loved to see more of him despite the rewrites downplaying the Serpent Society as a paramilitary group.
The meh. Still not sold on Danny Ramirez, he's fine, but just boring? Ruth/Sabra is a former Black Widow, far removed for her origins of being a mutant. A strange decision. The villain; it was a long wait for him to appear since we last saw him. He was OK, half decent plan in general but executed kinda weirdly.
It's very funny that they're forcing you to the Eternals happened as the aftermath of that movie is one of the main plot points for this. And also a really fumbly way to say that mutants are eventually coming using the MacGuffin of the movie. (Really, you introduce that this way?)
Costumes were alright, not amazing. They fortunately learned that the cowl from the TV show absolutely did not work and resisted giving Mackie a muscle suit again. Seriously the TV show costume was just goofy as shit.
If there's one critical flaw I have for this movie, is that they absolutely fumbled the opportunity for the mustache to grow back on Ford at the end.
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Another one that ed me by back then.
Hell of a movie, almost perfect. It has finely crafted writing and the amazing cast that just sells it (god damn I miss PSH), every scene. Each scene flowed fairly well and never felt lost. I could not believe how uncomfortable I felt through the latter half of the movie waiting for the other shoe to drop. Absolutely outstanding.
Solid and subtle cinematography. Framing well used, particularly the final scene. Music too was also well utilized.
Actually feel bad for not seeing this sooner.
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
One man's journey for the ultimate exfoliation.
I've only ever seen this movie in bits in pieces, so my memory of this movie is all over the place.
First of the overall design and look of the film, is fairly immaculate to match with the theme of this "near future". The brutalist architecture of the Gattaca building is beautiful in its own pure gray glory. Something you really take notice after when you're blasted with color in the flashback scenes.
The cast is overall great. Hawke and Law (should be a law firm) work great with each other, the on-screen chemistry between Hawke and Thurman is great (and man, she looked lovely throughout the film). Alan Arkin as the dogged detective I found enjoyable. Also interesting they had Gore Vidal and Ernest Borgnine as the polar opposites of the older set in this world. Tony Shaloub as uh, what do you call a guy like that? Gene scalper? Valid Trader? He's credited as just "German". Sure.
The plot of the film I found intriguing. Well, I should say I'm always intrigued by dystopias and eugenics. Always popular subjects in sci-fi. But this film does it pretty well. Really liked the execution of it and the bits of the heavy handed "genoism" as shown in some scenes. The lengths Vincent goes through to conceal his true identity in a world where "genes are your resumé". Hard pangs of imposter syndrome there for sure. Really well done, though it was sort of hard to suspend belief of people confusing Law's and Hawke's face. But they try. I'm glad they didn't go for prosthetics or something. Something I really couldn't stop laughing at in Looper.
The film has a great end and definitely don't want to spoil, watch it for yourself if you haven't already like me. I slept on this for sure.
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Never saw this before, sorta just ed me by. I guess I was just over Spielberg in my college years. Or maybe I was over Osment for bring the big name since his appearance in the Sixth Sense and everyone just riffing on this big line. But it's fine, I actually do like him and he's great in general in his Comedy Bang Bang appearances (Shout out to Slow Joey).
Some interesting bits, thought provoking of my own mortality in both physical and memory. The first act was certainly the strongest, particularly in the first scene with the presentation/debate. The middle was weird in general, but Jude Law absolutely steals the show during his time on screen. The final act is also somewhat interesting and despite being melancholic, felt appropriate.
The multiple uses of Pinocchio I thought was effective if a little on the nose (pun intended).
The CG although dated, still looked OK to a point, there were certainly some portions that didn't quite hold up. Actually sort of enjoyed the puppetry of the older robots. Also enjoyed the Brendan Gleeson's appearance as well as Robin Williams, Chris Rock and Meryl Streep's vocal cameos.
Finally, Teddy the motherfuckin' goat.
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Interesting movie, type of sci-fi dystopia I'm into. I like the Law and Whitaker playing off each other, rather unlikely duo but I dig it. Liev Schreiber doing what he does best being a greasy jerkass (positive). Alice Braga I haven't seen much of, but I like her too though the romance was sorta weird for the film. Unexpected cameos from RZA, YNB and John Leguizamo were all fun surprises.
Music was mostly forgettable, nothing rally stood out for me. Action was alright and effects and props were OK if a little hokey in spots. Despite being a 2010 film, it feels like it wasn't shot in 2010. Most shots felt very network TV if that makes any sense.
Did not care for a good chunk of the plot as it was pretty formulary but funnily enough the ending reveal is what sorta redeemed it for me that I started laughing when it happens, foreshadowing be damned.
Definitely not the best film, but worth it for Law and Whitaker.
I had to look up when the movie supposedly takes place because there was a piece of "product placement" that caught me eye, and ad for The Fast and the Furious. Movie takes place in 2025 and IRL Fast X came out in 2023. Close enough!
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
To start, it's fine. I don't hate it, but I don't really like it that much. I understand what they were going for with the cinematography but maybe they sorta over did it? CG is sorta bad that I feel this movie could have done better visually if this movie waited like a decade before committing.
Law and Paltrow are fine. They work off each other well enough and this is at least the era of Paltrow I find palatable. Ribisi I enjoyed, put him in more period movies! Jolie is a fun addition. Also nice to see Bai Ling but a little annoyed she was really underutilized.
Plotwise, it's fairly by the numbers and some things are telegraphed pretty hard. Even called the antagonist before the reveal.
Think I would have liked this movie far less had it been 2 hours. It's fine for a rainy day but I'm going to go out of my way to rewatch it. Better served rewatching the Rocketeer instead.
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Rewatched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Haven't seen it since the theaters. Still great it turns out! Probably Viggo's best performance?
The major dramatic scenes just ooze with amazing tension, the film's one big action scene in the bath house, absolutely brutal. The gore, while subdued, is still on brand for Cronenberg with great practical effects behind it. The characterization of Nikolai is top-notch and for most of the film you're not totally sure of his motivations until the reveal.
Honestly a great film through out and at a ~100 minutes. You're in and out.
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Rewatched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Oh to have your ear nibbled by a blond Geena Davis...
Tied with A League of Their Own as my favorite Geena Davis film. I love just about everything about it. Love the chemistry between her and Jackson. The plot is nearly immaculate and engaging for an action thriller. Antagonist could be a bit better, but works well enough. Music, both made for the film and licensed is great overall. Good practical effects.
Another great Christmas film and hey, Brian Cox to boot!
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Rewatched for the Nextlander Watchcast (backlog).
Still a Christmas classic. Like Batman before it, a great Tim Burton film. Fun cameos of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure alums. Great overall cast with Pfeiffer, DeVito and Walken. Even a Doug Jones sighting!
Plot is standard fare but the on-screen chemistry between the major characters absolutely flows, including Walken's adlibs.
Practical effects and props are great, the animatronic penguins still own, Penguin's duck car and his multitude of umbrellas. Just absolutely silly. I love it.
Always a recommend, even for not Christmas.
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A fun one! You can tell they paid a lot of money to keep Jim Carrey and he basically ran the movie with his physical humor and antics.
Action was fun, the human element outside of Robotnik was minimized enough to be useful foe the story but not be annoyed by it. Music was well utilized including Live & Learn which I think fans of the Sonic Adventure games will get a kick out of.
Mid-credit scene character appearances were expected so yes, there’s gonna be a Sonic 4 it looks like.
Also noticed far less product placement, at least nothing super awkward.
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Yep, as anticipated. Not as good as the first.
Song quality was a significant downgrade. There was no song I liked in here. Animation was good. Plot was sorta meh. Extra cast didn’t have much to do. Somehow things were more saccharine than before.
And good god, they’re trying for a trilogy. Thanks Executive Producer Dwayne Johnson.
Easy . Wait for rental/streaming.
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Finally watched this as I've been drafted to watch the sequel this weekend.
Colorful palette, nice looking water, good character designs. Overall, great looking for Walt Disney Animation.
I've mentioned before I'm not a musical person, so my thoughts on sing songy songs are pretty pedestrian but most of the songs here were pretty good to my ears. Suppose you can hand it to Lin-Manuel Miranda for that.
Story was decently laid out, but still follows the Disney formula but at least it's one of the better acted upon stories.
Cast I found a bit interesting being a bit more focused than I'm used to. The Rock despite everything plays Maui charmingly and I'll give it to him for actually singing. when he wasn't box office poison? Jemaine Clement is always a highlight and had the best song imo (and great post-credits scene).
Fun movie, worth the watch for sure.
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Rewatched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Man, I haven't seen this since it was in theaters and it's unfortunate that I still a lot of about this movie.
For 2001, the CG was state of the art and there wasn't much like it then. In 2024 however, a couple of students from Digipen could probably produce a better looking film on a MacBook. Not a knock against the film, just an observation of how far and fast CG has come.
Anyways, the film still looks fine to a point, terrain and buildings look fine, most of the characters look OK with some exceptions. Phantom and alien designs look visually interesting (also a side note, I guess I never realized the alien dropships in the dream sequences are very reminiscent of the scales of Sin from Final Fantasy X).
The cast, I found mostly great and I enjoyed the line up. I think Wen is maybe the weakest out of the group as some of her lines really feel wooden. Sutherland had some weird bits in some scenes as well, the rest sounded fine. Baldwin and Woods are probably the strongest acts in my opinion.
The story, you can tell it's something from Sakaguchi's mind (that is if you played Final Fantasy games of that era before he left), but what I think happened is the conversion to a screenplay most likely mangled some elements and ideas he had to better fit a Western audience and it overly feels flat and awkward.
Music is wholly forgettable, didn't even realize L'Arc〜en〜Ciel did a song for the credits.
If you've never seen it, it's probably worth watching it at least once to understand how this one film basically almost sunk Square entirely as a company.
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Not a musical person so you can ignore me on the song or lyrical quality.
Other than that, movie is fairly decent and despite being a nearly 3 hour movie, the pacing was well laid out so I did not feel bored throughout the film.
The cast was pretty good, I’m wholly unfamiliar with Ariana Grande and her game but I respect it. She had a lot of Boa Hancock energy throughout the first half. Erivo was fairly solid in both her acting and singing. Also nice to see Yeoh in another non-action film, she’s delightful. Goldblum as Oz is interesting.
Set design and costumes are high quality. Reminiscent of how I would imagine the 1939 costumes today.
Special effects are par for the course, nothing super exciting however.
Wait, THERE’S A PART TWO?! FUCK.
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Rewatched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
First time watching the Ulysses Cut that stretched the run time to nearly 3 hours which I would not wish on any person however it did make some characterizations make a bit more sense and a little bit more direct ending than what the theatrical left with.
Film is still unfortunately very stupid and a poor Mad Max-like in general. The story is incredibly dumb and there's so many logical leaps that the film insists you ignore but still bug the shit out of me. There's no suspension of disbelief to be had when there is no belief in the first place. The action choreography is poor in places that even my first time watching when I was younger wasn't very impressive. I was more wowed with the Universal Studios experience.
The music is ho hum and really going for the le motif of making the Mariner sound like a hero when in actuality he's not quite that. A poor choice.
Casting is a mixed bag in general. Kevin Costner I never saw as any sort of action hero and Waterworld does not change that opinion in any way. Dennis Hopper is merely OK and is the best out of the bunch, though I wish he played it a bit more unhinged ala Blue Velvet, that probably would have made the Deacon more threatening. Tripplehorn I suppose she's fine, inoffensive at best. Tina Majorino, sort of didn't care for the majority but got better toward the climax. Side note, did not realize Jack Black had a bit part in this, not that it helped matters.
Effects were a mixed bag, practical were decent at best. CG was a little rough but used sparingly, the mutated shark being the worst of it probably.
No one should watch this unless they are that inquisitive about it and I only opted to watch it for the Ulysses Cut since it intrigued me just enough. Absolute skip and if Costner is your thing, there's other movies for that.
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
An almost serviceable swashbuckling pirate film. The production value (for 1995) really shows that they were banking on this film to do gangbusters. Of course as history shows, it did not and apparently killed pirate films until Pirates of the Caribbean.
Casting was interesting. I love Geena Davis, Matthew Modine is always fun, me doing the Leo DiCaprio pointing the finger meme at Chris Masterson (MitM fans, what's up?). Frank Langella was a weird pick, well, maybe it was a character design or costuming problem. He felt out of place, it was just... Frank Langella in sleeveless shirts. Wouldn't have hurt to have him with long hair or a hat or something. Hell, even an eyepatch would have probably helped.
Plot and writing is OK, cheesy at points and I rolled my eyes at Geena's one liner at the end. Music was good for what it was and fit the movie well enough. Special effects weren't bad, lot of practical stuff, nice explosions.
All in all, good for a rainy day watch but don't expect a lot.
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Fairly average. Nothing to write home about. I did enjoy the Glitch however. Think I like that one the most out of the bunch.
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Easily the worst of the trilogy, not that the other 2 were much better. Goes for the emotional bait that it doesn’t deserve. Story was a slipshod mess. Overly bad writing. Heavily telegraphed plot devices. Contrived dance scene for reasons?
Realistically I could say you’d be fine just watching the first film and forget the rest. If you have to watch it, wait for streaming.
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Actually sorta fun? Great spin on the anthology framework and having each of the stories interact with each other in fun ways. Sam is a fun little monster. I sorta feel this should have been the Creepshow 3 we deserved.
Some surprising names in this, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, the kid from Bad Santa!
I'd definitely put this on the annual Halloween playlist in the background.
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Rewatched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
METEOR SHIT!
Classic style horror with the triumvirate of Stephen King, George A. Romero and Tom Savini.
King's bite sized stories each unique from the last shows the range of imagination he has. Romero's direction and framing for effective shots, the comic "s" that appear at the climax of each story is awesome. Savini's excellent makeup and effects despite being a bit too clear on a Blu Ray release, is still good fun.
This one I come back to every once in a while because as someone who grew up with Leslie Nielsen as a funny man who carries a pocket fart machine for gags, it's fun to see him as an evil bastard who later gets his comeuppance.
Young Ed Harris still throws me off and Danson's hair volume is on maximum.
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Please don't finger my bio port.
Delightfully weird Cronenberg film. I'm a sucker for practical effects and baby, they were meaty.
Jude Law and Jennifer Jason Leigh work great together, really played off each other well. The secondary cast was equally great while playing weird characters, of course Willem Dafoe was my favorite.
Plot is a little hard to follow at first as you're being introduced to the world but doesn't take long to pick things up and by the end of it, it ends up making sense and wrapping up nicely with a great final shot.
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
First time watching it, not bad! I'm always down for a Dabney Coleman performance, and he's great pulling double duty as Davey's Dad and Jack Flack. So I can finally add this to the "Movies-I've-seen-with-Dabney-Coleman-in-it" list.
Weirdly dark considering most of the movie is 3 dudes wanting to murk a couple of kids and an act of self defense. A time capsule of the 80's where those same kids just gallivant through out San Antonio, Texas without any adult batting an eye, unsupervised.
The introduction scene I found to be silly and charming. The middle of the film to be a little tense and the ending past the climax to be saccharine but still enjoyable.
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Rewatched for the Nextlander Watchcast. Though I really didn't need to since I've seen this movie front to back way too many times in my life.
This movie still a bright spot for me ever since I was kid. It was Nintendo, on the big screen, a major plot device, a montage and an awesome climax. Seeing Super Mario Bros 3 for the first time months before I get a copy for my birthday.
Still though as a brokebrained Nintendo fan, there were many errors I noticed, even as a kid that bugged me whenever some gameplay was shown and usually some sound effect or action not matching the gameplay would be happening or the bit with Beau Bridges playing Zelda II (What barbarian???). I'm not gonna majorly fault it however. I'm mostly happy with what was on screen and it how it was represented.
The plot, is still fairly simple, but by the end of it, you still get some heart strings pulled as to why Jimmy wants to go to California and the resolution of it. The family dynamic between the 2 families I did find interesting. The inclusion of Hayley and Nick's mostly acerbic attitude does cut through the more family friendly aspects of the film. And yes, I know this movie is basically an advertising vehicle, but dammit it worked.
Music was pretty good, the bit with Real Life's Send Me An Angel is forever stamped in my mind.
As far as video game focused movies, it's still pretty high up on my list for me.
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I’ll start off to say it’s not as good as the first. But it doesn’t take anything away from the first film.
Visuals were great and on par with Burton’s usual offerings. Music selections were interesting. Plot sort of peters out toward the end and some plot lines abruptly end in an almost unsatisfying manner.
Good call on minimizing Jeffrey Jones’ actual likeness and instead opting for storytelling devices and practical effects.
Speaking of practical effects, there was a lot of them and was pleasantly pleased they go totally digital. Props looked great.
Definitely worth seeing if you want to spend a couple hours out of the heat.
There was one upsetting death and my entire theater felt the same way.
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Absolutely absurd, I love it. Might be my favorite Harry Dean Stanton role, also possibly Emilio's as well. Great soundtrack. Last 20 minutes is a fuckin' wackadoo fever dream.
Also for the longest time before actually watching it, I confused this with The Super starrting Joe Pesci somehow...
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Watched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Pleasantly low budget, great sequences, gratuitous squib violence, Kyle MacLachlan's glorious coif.
Have never seen this movie before and was pleasantly surprised with the turn it takes quickly after the action packed introduction that is very weird, kinda gross. Breakneck pacing so I never found myself bored with the film. Story is very predictable but strangely I did not care.
It actually makes me wonder if Men In Black was influenced by this film, because at points it sorta feels like it.
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Rewatched for the Nextlander Watchcast (backlog).
Stupid, dumb fun. Still holds up. I still hate Bennett's stupid yarn tank top.
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Wonderful! Visually interesting and entertaining zero gravity sequences. Fantastic, goopy effects. Bunch of fan service though one bit of it is sorta tasteless. You might understand when you see it. Dolby Atmos sound was used to full effect and really added to the experience. A plot point from Alien: Resurrection I didn't really care for actually was more effective this go around??? I don't have much exposure of the cast, but I really enjoyed Cailee Spaeny's performance over her appearance in Civil War. David Jonsson was pretty solid given his role. Great acting.
Plot is pretty barebones, but you don't need a whole lot for an Alien movie. For some reason, I had pangs of ZZ Gundam's start. I know it's dumb. Don't mind me.
I'd put this above Prometheus and Covenant for sure for the "new" Aliens era. Well worth your time.
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Rewatched for the Nextlander Watchcast.
Still one of the best crime stories ever told with absolutely pristine pacing. Still in my top 3 Tarantino films (I should probably make a ranked list now that I'm thinking about it).
Still Pam Grier's best role that at the time was the culmination of her experience and acting in blaxploitation films. Forster somehow plays the best orthodox unorthodox love interest/straight man with great timing. One of Jackson's more fascinating roles slipping between jovial and threatening. De Niro not doing much but emoting and smoking weed and still being an effective character. Fonda and Keaton in great tertiary roles. Just a great cast all around.
Music is impeccable, great track choices.
Easily one of the best movies you could have in your collection.
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Cheesy, reference filled and ultimate camp. It was made for me and people in my age group.
Fun choreography, great effects (for the most part) and great 4th wall breaks.
Without saying too much it is worth your time if you have any affinity with late 90’s to mid 00’s comic book movies of that era, you know the ones. Also add the later Wolverine films.
Story is so-so. But fun use of a villain not many would think to have.
Thanks Ryan for calling in those favors because I felt like I was in high school again.
]]>New year, new list.
]]>New year, new list. List in flux until the end of the year. No, I'm not putting Madame Web in the list, even as a joke, just because I saw it.
]]>Personal ranked list, not including the AvP films.
]]>My personal ranked list of Tarantino films. Like Tarantino I'm considering Kill Bill's 2 volumes to be a single movie so the Whole Bloody Affair version is used to represent it as a whole.
]]>Spent a week watching all this ahead of Exorcist: Believer. Might as well rank 'em.
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