|
 The Black Phone (2021) Directed by Scott Derrickson Someone is kidnapping and murdering children in a suburb of Denver. Can the police and families solve the mystery before another child is murdered? Heavily laced with supernatural happenings, this movie is about as close to perfect as it can get for me. I loved all the characters, the soundtrack, the filming. It's absolutely full to the brim of dread and suspense for nearly the entire duration. The director is playing with your emotions like a marionette. He knows when to put in brief stops for you to catch your breath and put a smile on your face before he pushes you back under for more unrelenting dread. It's my second viewing, and I liked it more this time around than the first. When you hear certain lines, you get goosebumps. You're prepared for this the second time. 5/5
|
#
?
Feb 11, 2024 23:55
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 04:46 |
|
|
 The House of the Devil (2009) Directed by Ti West A college student answers an ad looking for a babysitter to make some cash so she can pay her rent that's due in a few days. A retro stylized movie set in the 80s during the satanic panic. A slow burn, but violent movie with plenty of goop. It was a fun ride, but didn't feel as fleshed out as a few of West's more recent movies I've seen. 3/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2024 02:15
|
|
|
American Fiction 4.5/5 Both a hilarious satire of what sells in black-centric media and an affecting character study of a closed off man trying to do the best he can for his family. Jeffrey Wright is fantastic in this. I felt I'd seen him a lot lately what with Westworld, The Batman, and the Marvel What If series, but an interview with the director of this movie makes the point that he hasn't been the lead actor in a film since 1996. Here's hoping he gets a lot more chances. It's basically Spike Lee's Bamboozled for the publishing world.
|
|
#
?
Feb 13, 2024 04:08
|
|
|
I just caught The Taste of Things at my local Regal, and it was lovely. The first act is largely food porn that's light on plot, but even as a non-foodie I found that section of the film to be a pleasant sensory experience. The camera keeps you close to the actors and briskly follows different ingredients and cookware being passed around a kitchen, so it always feels engaging and cozy. Seeing 19th-century French cuisine filmed so artfully made me feel really crass for eating popcorn while watching it. After the first act eases you in, the story picks up a bit and the movie reveals itself as a low-key autumn romance about how cooking can be an intimate act, and how people can communicate to each other through food made with love. The cast, led by Juliette Binoche, does a lot with subtle movements and expressions to depict people trying to convey deep warmth and affection within the boundaries of what the setting's decorum allows. Really wholesome, relaxing, and joyful all around!
|
|
#
?
Feb 14, 2024 00:46
|
|
|
 The Seventh Victim (1943) Directed by Mark Robson A woman goes looking for her missing sister and uncovers a satanic cult. A very dark film for sure, if not a bit too depressing. I enjoyed the scenes, and all the characters. However, the story itself was kind of stretched out a bit too far for my tastes. With a run time of 70ish minutes, it felt twice that. 3/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 14, 2024 01:45
|
|
|
Last night I watched Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey What a pointless, detestable waste of time. It was a slasher movie without any stakes or likeable characters. Pooh and Piglet could have been swapped for any other characters and nothing would have been lost. I watch a lot of poo poo movies and this one stands alone with how annoyed it made me. 0/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 14, 2024 23:36
|
|
|
 Thir13en Ghosts (2001) Directed by Steve Beck A ghost collector dies, and passes on his house that contains locked up ghosts in the basement. When the family arrives to check the place out you can guess what happens next. I saw this movie back when it was released, and I didn't care for it much back then, and I guess I still don't care much for it now, either. We see themes from Event Horizon and the House on Haunted Hill remake, but it's not nearly as fun as either of those. The casting falls flat. Matthew Lillard was starting to see some fame around this time, but I don't think this movie did him any favors. The ghosts themselves were a cool concept, but they had hardly any screen time beyond short bits for each one. Still not a fan. 2.5/5 Philthy fucked around with this message at 01:17 on Feb 15, 2024 |
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2024 01:06
|
|
|
Philthy posted:
Maika Monroe also starred in The Guest in 2014 (alongside Dan Stevens), which I thought was a solid 4/5. I remember at the time a goon described it as "What if Captain America was a dick?" It's a fun thriller, it's well shot and overall I just liked it a lot.
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2024 16:15
|
|
|
Ranger Vick posted:Maika Monroe also starred in The Guest in 2014 (alongside Dan Stevens), which I thought was a solid 4/5. I remember at the time a goon described it as "What if Captain America was a dick?" It's a fun thriller, it's well shot and overall I just liked it a lot. I've put that on my watchlist, thanks!
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2024 16:24
|
|
|
The Guest is excellent.
|
|
#
?
Feb 15, 2024 17:58
|
|
|
I love The Guest. There's a soundtrack released for the unmade sequel where the song titles hint at where the story would have gone. I watched BlackBerry. It follows a tried and true "rags to riches to rags" story of a company filled with people flying too close to the sun, with some hilarious and affecting performances. Glen Howerton is the standout as the co-CEO and shark of a salesman who uses his business acumen to actually get the company somewhere. He's magnetic whenever he's onscreen. Worth watching just for how entertaining he is. 4/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2024 01:25
|
|
|
 Pulse (2001) Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa People begin to notice what appears to be ghosts manifesting on the internet. Other people seem to encounter these ghosts in real life, while others are trying to research what they might be. This movie throws a lot of what ifs, it tries to explain the unexplainable and leaves a lot of room for interpretation while feeding the viewer dread, loneliness, fear, and whole bunch of other emotions. This isn't an overly scary movie, instead it brings mysteries that might be terrible for those involved. A good, and interesting watch. 3.5/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2024 01:31
|
|
|
There's a sequel to It Follows in production right now. Hope they don't screw it up.
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2024 03:45
|
|
|
It Follows Up
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2024 06:42
|
|
|
It Wallows
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2024 08:24
|
|
|
High-Rise (2015) - loved it but I'm a sucker for Ballard's fiction, I sold my wife on this with the trailer and the movie opening with Tom Hiddleston eating a dog got me a hell of a glare. But she ended up loving it anyway. 5/5 Batman (1966) - my brother in law was in town and I offered this or Bottoms. Happy with it even if the pacing was odd and the ending didn't really land, some of the jokes in the middle feel like they'd easily land in a movie today. 4/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2024 11:09
|
|
|
Waffleman_ posted:It Follows Up "It's Ready to Settle Down"
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2024 19:44
|
|
|
Watch You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023, Netflix) 4/5, Kind of a fun little movie where Adam Sanlder's entire collection of female children play the rich children of a rich guy, and one of them is dealing with some difficult social stuff. It feels quite real and it has children being played by children, which really changes the tone of a movie compared to if older kids were playing smaller kids. And given that it was Sander's actual kids, I could relax while watching in being pretty sure that no Dan Schneider types were in charge. And Sarah Squirm loving kills it, I hope she shows up in later low-effort low-energy Sandler productions and wakes up the loving room. Lisa Frankenstein, 2024 3/5 What an odd near-miss, I don't know if it was rescued or hosed by the studio/editing, but I'd bet it was one or the other. It's 80s-style dead teen comedy, set in the 80s, with a nice appreciation of the female gaze and a realistic approach to menstruation, something that it has in common with ...Bat Mitvah. Some very nice shots/direction, with terrific use of closeups for a big screen production, and featured my sometimes favorite song, Head On. Was also disjointed and clinical and felt like a big hunk of the movie was simply missing, like it wandered off somewhere. I looked for the original script online and couldn't find it, although Cody claimed it was written in the Covid era, which is crazy, it felt like it was on the shelf from around 2008. Great performances all around, and I'm glad I saw it in the theater. I think about it more than a lot of better movies I've seen because it's just so damned odd.
|
|
#
?
Feb 16, 2024 20:18
|
|
|
 Anguish Directed by Bigas Luna A murderer who is controlled by his mother goes around collecting eyeballs. I can't say more beyond that, otherwise it'll give away what makes this movie so highly rated for me. It was an excellent flick. A hidden gem. I was absolutely not expecting where this movie went. I'm not sure if repeat viewings will hold the charm, but if you go in blind, you might really enjoy this one. 4/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2024 00:08
|
|
|
 Dark Tales of Japan (2004) Directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura (The Spiderwoman), Norio Tsuruta (Crevices), Koji Shiraishi (The Sacrifice), Takashi Shimizu (Blonde Kwaidan), Masayuki Ochiai (Presentiment) A Japanese horror anthology that was made for TV. It very much feels like a Japanese version of Tales from the Darkside. It carries the same sense of humor with an overshadowing of horror for many of the shorts, and they're all pretty decent but not amazing. I would say out of the five stories, my favorite would be a tie with Crevices and The Sacrifice. A fun watch for a Saturday afternoon. 3/5 Philthy fucked around with this message at 05:16 on Feb 18, 2024 |
|
#
?
Feb 17, 2024 23:21
|
|
|
Tank Girl (1995): B+. The plot for this movie is almost completely ridiculous, but if you can get past that, Tank Girl is a lot of fun. What's not to like? Malcolm McDowell is at his mustache-twirling best, hatching eeeeevil plots that are foiled by the wisecracking women protagonists. Even though there are cliched parts of the plot, this movie felt so much fresher and more entertaining than the endless Marvel dreck that we have been served for the past decade plus.
F_Shit_Fitzgerald fucked around with this message at 01:09 on Feb 18, 2024 |
|
#
?
Feb 18, 2024 01:05
|
|
|
Barbarian (2022) What a solid, fast paced, funny and hosed up horror movie. I didn't anticipate any of the twists and turns and was quite pleased with it all in all. Definitely a good watch for fans of the genre. 5/5 edit: just learned that the director and writer is one of the Whitest Kids U Know guys! Turpitude fucked around with this message at 05:17 on Feb 18, 2024 |
|
#
?
Feb 18, 2024 05:14
|
|
|
 Microwave Massacre Directed by Wayne Berwick An unhappy husband with a microwave obsessed wife gets a taste for human meat. This movie feels like a long skit that was supposed to be for The Kentucky Fried Movie but wasn't good enough, so they released it as its own movie. This is absolutely a kooky 70s comedy that is complete schlock, but at the same time funny as hell. This is definitely a guilty pleasure. I'm still giggling at the dumb jokes. 3.5/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2024 00:37
|
|
|
Vanilla Sky (2001): B+ Expectation - Poor man's Eyes Wide Shut. Reality - Something in between Inception and the early Red Dwarf episode 'Better Than Life'. Whether it's because I'm about to turn 40, or I lost my Dad recently, or I'm just gooey and sentimental, I admit: the pay off got to me a little. Even though it's fairly standard, "choose the path for your life" stuff, I dunno....it spoke to me in a way it might not have two or three months ago. I enjoyed Vanilla Sky a lot more than I expected, and I would recommend it for anyone who hasn't seen it. e: Surprisingly, one thing this movie has in common with Tank Girl - two completely different movies - is that mainstream critics like Ebert didn't like or "get" them when they were first released. I'll admit that Cruise's character is not particularly sympathetic; particularly at the beginning. He's a millionaire failson who inherited a thriving business from daddy and fucks beautiful, vain women (like Diaz). But through the movie he gains some nuance from his accident. Maybe it never helps him find his "true" self but he has to confront the fact that looks and even money won't be enough to get him through life. I don't know. Not to be Ted Rall but Ebert wasn't inerrant in his judgments. F_Shit_Fitzgerald fucked around with this message at 14:12 on Feb 19, 2024 |
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2024 01:44
|
|
|
Red Rock West - Nic Cage plays a down on his luck Texas man looking for work in Wyoming when he stumbles his way into a murder for hire plot by a local sheriff looking to take out his wife. Dennis Hopper shows up as the killer for hire and the two of them trade scenes of trying to out act each other while Lara Flynn Boyle and JT Walsh play the couple trying to murder the other. I hadn't heard of it until last month and it did not disappoint. Really solid western noir vibes with some cool turns, carried by the cast and music. Definitely recommend it. 4/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 19, 2024 18:16
|
|
|
 House of 9 (2004) Directed by Steven R. Monroe Nine people wake up trapped in a house not having any idea why they're there with no real exit. This movie was completely stupid. Dennis Hopper playing an Irish priest who is reciting prayers every chance he gets, while the rest of the cast pretend they're in a music video one moment, while at each other's throats the next. It's just terrible on every level. 1/5 Philthy fucked around with this message at 04:50 on Feb 20, 2024 |
|
#
?
Feb 20, 2024 04:37
|
|
|
Maxwell Lord posted:The Catholic Church actually did ultimately give The Exorcist an OK because the powers of good win out in the end (as opposed to Rosemary’s Baby). ehhhhhh* *If you've seen The Exorcist III/Legion
|
|
#
?
Feb 20, 2024 07:04
|
|
|
 The Visit Directed by M. Night Shyamalan A mother decides to go on vacation and sends her daughter and son off to their grandparents while she's gone. The kids decide they'll document everything. This is a documentary found footage type of flick. It's incredibly fun, and has a great mix of humor to cut through the tension and general "the gently caress?" types of moments. I had no idea this movie existed. Big thumbs up! 4/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 20, 2024 21:57
|
|
|
 The Breach Directed by Rodrigo Gudiño A dead body turns up in a canoe, and the local police chief begins to investigate. He finds out someone had rented a spooky old house that is only accessible by boat or floatplane several hours away. The story had a cool concept, they had some good effects and goop, but the way the story was told and characters were just uninteresting, and the movie dragged on too many times to make it enjoyable. 2.5/5 Philthy fucked around with this message at 06:17 on Feb 26, 2024 |
|
#
?
Feb 22, 2024 01:09
|
|
|
YOLO Top grossing chinese film of the year, top 20 all time for china at the moment so its popular. It also isnt very good. YOLO is a film that wants to be about making changes in your life and choosing to go the distance at arbitrary goals you set for yourself (in this case amateur boxing). Except it really, really isnt because its actually the not-in-the-movie-at-all behind the scenes story of the lead actress doing that and that offscreen story is almost entirely why its successful. Whats on film is a bloated 2 hour mess because they had plenty of time to film her scenes while she was still overweight but had no time to film scenes when shes lean, so the film is incredibly front loaded and fails to setup the "Ill go the distance!!!" plot at all and instead just kind of relies on using the rocky music at one point. Its also important its not a comedy, nor is it a boxing movie. The actual film is mostly life dumping on the main character, them reacting passively, and then the conclusion is so underbaked and, infuriatingly, called into serious question by its own earlier subplot that its resolution feels meaningless. Characters come and go, and some subplots exist for a single set of scenes and vanish with no meaningful resolution. The film is from a second time director and their inability to shoot boxing fights does not help here at all, but thats supposed to be ok because its not a boxing movie except the finale of the movie is a long, nearly real time boxing match. The film has some well designed shots on occassion creating a heightened realism/painterly feeling but this all clashes a bit when the boxing at the end is hilariously accurately bloody. Just an odd juxtaposition. On a personal note, the vocal affectation they gave the main character to make her sound more helpless and passive resulted in me cringing out of my skin every time she spoke. Thankfully despite being the lead shes so passive as a character she really doesn't talk much.
|
|
#
?
Feb 22, 2024 01:27
|
|
|
 Funny Games (2007) Directed by Michael Haneke Home invasion movie that turns into 2 hours of torture porn. Waste of my time with nothing worthwhile about it. Maybe I didn't get it, don't care, and will never revisit this one. 0.5/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2024 00:50
|
|
|
Philthy posted:
there's nothing funny about those games! I hated this movie. Utter trash.
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2024 05:53
|
|
|
Super weird that the director did a shot for shot remake of his own drat movie, down to filming it in the same house
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2024 06:06
|
|
|
I love the original, Lothar and Frisch both give amazing performances and the theme of rich people being ritualistically tortured by spectres of the system they've created has only gotten more relevant.
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2024 16:46
|
|
|
Redline - sick rear end anime flick. The animation is buck wild and I loved it. Basic plot, racer wants to be the best and is entered into the biggest race in the universe. Some crazy creature designs, and even a kaiju fight. 4/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2024 20:11
|
|
|
MacheteZombie posted:Redline - sick rear end anime flick. The animation is buck wild and I loved it. Basic plot, racer wants to be the best and is entered into the biggest race in the universe. Some crazy creature designs, and even a kaiju fight. 4/5 Funky Boy was just a baby. He hadnt learned discipline
|
|
#
?
Feb 23, 2024 20:28
|
|
|
The line that's like "Funkyboy is destroying Roboworld" is peak.
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2024 01:30
|
|
|
 Carrie (2013) Directed by Kimberly Peirce A girl raised by an ultra-religious mother is relentlessly picked on at school. She finds that she has telekinetic powers and puts them to good use. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. Mostly because of the fantastic casting. Julianne Moore plays such a good messed up creepy-rear end mother, while Chloe Grace Moretz slips right into a role she's already well known for: Someone who knows how to get revenge, and look absolutely terrifying while doing it. It was also cool seeing Ansel Elgort in his first major role. Thumbs up. 3.5/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2024 02:21
|
|
|
Gori-Rider you motherf--*beeeeeep*
|
|
#
?
Feb 24, 2024 02:54
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 14, 2024 04:46 |
|
|
 Witching & Bitching (2013) Directed by Álex de la Iglesia A group pulls off a heist and runs from the police to the middle of nowhere only to find themselves mixed up with a coven of witches. A comedy horror that has some pretty funny scenes. We have a huge spooky house with a whole slew of crazy fun characters. Some of the set and character designs felt like they were right out of a Cirque du Soleil show. I had a lot of fun watching this movie, and I wasn't sure where it was going. In the end, it went a little bit everywhere. 3.5/5
|
|
#
?
Feb 25, 2024 04:54
|
|