Amph What was the last movie you saw? (Ver. 2)

This. My biggest problem w/the series is that in five (soon to be six) films, they've never really created a distinct personality for Hunt (Cruise seemed to be trying to do... something in 2, but he thankfully abandoned it). He doesn't have any traits or quirks you can tick off ala Bond and they've done a poor job of building any kind of cohesive narrative for him. He's just an avatar for Cruise. That said, I'm w/ @Chancellor_Ewok re: the importance of Cruise here. Though the character lacks a definable personality, what makes him and the movies work is Cruise's %110 commitment to them. M:I 2 was a bump in the road, but since then I think each entry has gotten better, and early critical buzz for 6 is off the charts. I may not have even the smallest emotional investment in these films, but they do entertain.

 

@The2ndQuest @MrZAP

There is only a couple of movies I won't subject myself to rewatching: The Legend of Hercules (the Kellan Lutz one, not the Dwayne Johnson version), and Union Bound. Legend of Hercules was basically a cheap, silly Hercules-version of The Gladiator with cheesy special effects and dialogue (would have been better off as direct-to-DVD movie); Union Bound should have been a made for TV movie, and it showed.

 

Legend of Hercules is Renny Harlin. Nuff said.

 

Blockers (2018)
I didn't expect this movie to be good. I was mostly right, but I will admit that I did find myself laughing at certain parts. John Cena is great, his male co-star Ike Barinholtz gets a few good lines, and Leslie Mann is a mess. Speaking of messes, so is the plot. I'll do my best to avoid spoilers, but the general plot is that these three parents attempt to stop their respective daughters from fulfilling their prom night sex pact. It's a similar premise to 1999's "American Pie", except the focus is primarily on the parents. But then the movie tries to focus on the girls and make us care about what they're going through personally, but by the time the movie gets going, it forgot to establish the characters and make us care about them at the beginning of the movie. You get sprinkles of information here and there as you go, but I never found myself caring about either set of characters. The parents don't even like each other, so how is the audience supposed to like them or root for them?

There is some heart at parts especially towards the end of the film. Sadly, when a certain parent's motivation is revealed, during that heartfelt moment, it falls on deaf ears and the scene is played for a comedic response. It appears to be a common thing as many have griped about this same thing happening in recent Marvel movies.

I do not recommend this movie as it will be forgotten as quickly as other comedy related movies over the past few years. If you do decide to give it a shot and go in with low expectations, you may be pleasantly surprised, but the movie couldn't really keep my attention.

Honorable mention: Gideon Adlon, daughter of Pamela Adlon, gave the most believable performance.

 

Mamma Mia! - Ranges from "suprisingly enjoyable" to "utterly insane."

 

Was Cher everything and more?

 

She's not in this one. You're thinking of the sequel.

 

Oh right I thought that's what you saw.

 

Dr. Strangelove: Or; How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb

I see and hear new details every time I watch this film, which is a masterful comedy about nuclear annihilation and global megadeath. Produced and Directed by Stanley Kubrick and written by he, Terry Southern and Pete George, Dr. Strangelove is essential viewing, imo.

Peter Sellers is brilliant in three memorable roles. Sterling Hayden is perfect as the psychotic commander who triggers doomsday. George C. Scott as the over the top General Turgidson is hilarious. James Earl Jones is in this movie as well, in perhaps his first role.

The details and pacing are precise and comedically timed. Each scene is packed with subtle performances and details in the dialogue, the sets, everything. It's a movie that rewards multiple viewings, but most of all, watch it for the absurd, ironic and, gleeful humor.

"We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when! But I know we'll meet again some sunny day."

 

Edison Drawn by ‘World’ Artist (1896) – James H. White

In this film, a sketch artist does a large drawing of Thomas Edison. This is kind of one of those novelty things where somebody does something impressive really quickly. With just a few lines, this guy, who was an artist for a newspaper called The World, manages to very quickly capture Edison’s gruff personality. 0 stars.

tl;dr – 0 stars.

 

That's not just any sketch artist - it's J. Stuart Blackton! He was famous as a lightning artist, which is this kind of quickdraw vaudeville act that was the immediate antecedent to and heavily overlapped with animation, and apparently liked this little film so much he bought a projector from Edison and then went on to do innocuous projects like *checks notes* literally invent the animated short.

 

Doctor Strange (2016) again. Particularly fitting that I am in the hospital right now, I felt like I needed to watch Stephen’s journey again.

I love it and cannot wait for the sequel.

 

Or what I need if I am desperate enough to watch Legend of Hercules again. I'll need those to survive the experience.

 

Midway (1976) Two and a half hours of stilted dialog, inane love story/family melodrama, grainy old gun camera footage of the wrong airplanes, held together with an all-star cast to put A Bridge Too Far to shame. Somehow, it works for me. I'm fascinated by the way the leaders try to make their decisions based on insufficient information, and the moments they make wrong decisions for all the right reasons. Also, it's fun to see minor characters played by unknown actors who are about to become big stars: Tom Selleck, Pat Morita, and Erik Estrada. John Williams came up with a stirring and catchy march tune; it's a shame the score isn't more prominent.

 

Did you know they're making a new Midway movie? I went on the ship named after the battle that's docked in San Diego several years ago.

https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1702380/following-dunkirk-were-gonna-get-a-battle-of-midway-movie

 

@Ahsoka's Tano I hadn't heard about that. Thanks for the heads up.

 

I'll be completely honest; I could never have enough historical movies featuring the significant battles of WWII and Vietnam. It just seems like for the past decade or so Hollywood had shifted away from it in favor of the more current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

Last movie I saw was actually ROTJ

 

The Scorpion King

 

Antman and The Wasp, 2nd time. It was funnier this time, for whatever reason.

 

Solaris

Rewatched the original Andrei Tarkovsky picture from 1972.
I think I finally got it this time lol.
But don't worry, this is a spoiler free review.

In a few words. Russian Sci-Fi that is not taking any inspiration from 2001: A Space Odyssey, in fact Tarkovsky apparently hated Kubrick's film. Lol.
First point is false, second is true. Brings up a good reference point for understanding this picture.

Anyhow, Solaris is a very hypnotic film that will make you think.
Like. A lot. Of thinking.
There are several breathtaking shots of creeks with flowing reeds and trees and rain at the beginning. At a family home. A farewell. These opening scenes are beautifully hypnotic, emphasizing the natural world, as opposed to the Solaris where we will soon be held captive.

These nature scenes are followed by maze like driving shots through tunnels, weaving through massive and architecturally interesting cityscapes. Another scene contains a lot of bureaucratic Russian intrigue and then before you know it, the protagonist is sent into space and the plot begins. No spoilers. See it yourself.

It is very intriguing and thoughtful. It's also rather long, at nearly three hours.

Essential viewing for SF film buffs and is truly a brilliant piece of art, worth studying and remembering.
It's a bit long though and would most likely not be appreciated if released in the US in 2018. This type of movie, although brilliant, is not for everyone. Especially now. Most would probably walk out of this picture, or ask for a refund.

It's just that good!

 

Please tell me it's not going to be directed by Michael Bay .

It's inoffensively mediocre B-movie garbage w/a whiff of 80s genre cheese to it, but certainly watchable. I know it's spawned like 3 or 4 direct-to-video sequels. I've seen the first of those--directed by the same guy who directed Highlander no less. They should have listened to that franchise's title character and let there be only one.