What movies have you been watching?

[evme]

We just watched Apollo 13 as a family. Good solid movie, the CGI actually looks pretty good for being nearly 30 years old (released in 1995). There was a fair amount of cursing for a PG movie, but I'm still not sure why Amazon considered it 16+.

Love that movie -- one of Ron Howard's best as director. Really good score by James Horner too.

[slackmax]

Elvis. I went because my date wanted to see it. It was pretty much what I expected, so I thought it was OK. Might be a "good" movie, just not my thing. Chick Flick?
Tom Hanks did a good job playing the sleazebag manager. Lots of music from that time. We had a great sound system in the theater, I'll say that much for it. Did you know Elvis started as a Gospel musician?   

[Metalcat]

Elvis. I went because my date wanted to see it. It was pretty much what I expected, so I thought it was OK. Might be a "good" movie, just not my thing. Chick Flick?
Tom Hanks did a good job playing the sleazebag manager. Lots of music from that time. We had a great sound system in the theater, I'll say that much for it. Did you know Elvis started as a Gospel musician?   

Of course! I thought everyone knew that...oh wait, not everyone's father quizzed them on music history as a child? Just me??? Oh. Okay.

[slackmax]

Elvis. I went because my date wanted to see it. It was pretty much what I expected, so I thought it was OK. Might be a "good" movie, just not my thing. Chick Flick?
Tom Hanks did a good job playing the sleazebag manager. Lots of music from that time. We had a great sound system in the theater, I'll say that much for it. Did you know Elvis started as a Gospel musician?   

Of course! I thought everyone knew that...oh wait, not everyone's father quizzed them on music history as a child? Just me??? Oh. Okay.

Ha Ha!  I knew about the gospel music, and it's my favorite music from Elvis. Him playing piano alone and singing gospel music.  I don't think he ever made a record of gospel music, maybe he did. But I have seen it on biopics of  Elvis.

Never understood the frenzy about Elvis, but he did have a great voice. 

[slackmax]

The Nowhere Inn.  A movie about a woman making a documentary movie about a famous woman singer. I watched it because it has Carrie Brownstein in it, and I am a big fan, ever since I saw her in the Portlandia TV series.

I liked it. Lots of interesting camera work and lots of Carrie Brownstein. 

[wenchsenior]

We just watched Apollo 13 as a family. Good solid movie, the CGI actually looks pretty good for being nearly 30 years old (released in 1995). There was a fair amount of cursing for a PG movie, but I'm still not sure why Amazon considered it 16+.

Love that movie -- one of Ron Howard's best as director. Really good score by James Horner too.

Ron Howard's work seems to range from the really good (Apollo 13) to the mostly mediocre, but it sounds like Thirteen Lives is one of his good ones, and all 3 stars are among my faves, so I'm looking forward to seeing that.

[evme]

For those who like documentaries, Fire of Love looks interesting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMArx64RBO4

From National Geographic Documentary Films comes the extraordinary love story of intrepid French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who died just as explosively as they lived — capturing the most spectacular imagery ever recorded of their greatest passion: volcanoes.

[slackmax]

'Tammy Faye" a movie about Jim and Tammy Bakker, the TV evangelists of decades ago.

I found it interesting. Jessica Chastain plays Tammy Faye. 

It's what you think: it just shows the whole Tammy and Jim story.

It's not for everyone, of course.

[slackmax]

Watched the first 20 minutes of Free Guy. Unendurable. Ejected it. NEXT !

Next DVD was 'Crying Game'. Liked it. Interesting characters, a plot that makes sense, storyline feels right.   

Edit to add :  OK, I'm gonna have to put the Free Guy DVD back in, since I googled it and apparently there is some acting, some chemistry, some romance later on. 

[slackmax]

OK, finished Watching Free Guy.  It finally did have some romantic stuff, but it only went on for about 7 minutes of the whole movie, and rest was CGI smash-bang. Some funny bits, though, I must admit.   

[Metalcat]

OK, finished Watching Free Guy.  It finally did have some romantic stuff, but it only went on for about 7 minutes of the whole movie, and rest was CGI smash-bang. Some funny bits, though, I must admit.

As I said, it was okay.

There was a ton of smash bang, but at least it was a little more creative. The first 20 minutes are probably the worst part of the movie though, so I wouldn't be surprised by anyone bailing on it at that point. But I stuck it out for Jodie Cormer and Taika Waititi.

But it's not a great movie, it's okay, and has some rather funny moments thanks to really great actors with excellent comedic timing.

DH now will also periodically walk by, point and wink and say "Catchphrase!"

[lost_in_the_endless_aisle]

Watched a couple movies for the second time after seeing them long, long ago. Both held up reasonably well:

The Day Reagan Was Shot
Richard Dreyfus playing a slightly deranged Alexander Haig, the nuclear football getting lost in the crapper, and the fact that (supposedly) the film followed actual events with reasonable closeness make it solid. Good for making one think how amazing that our institutions can hold together in spite of the absurd and confused behavior of individuals.

Six Degrees of Separation
Probably the non-chronological narrative style would be annoying to some, but I think this is Will Smith's best role (possible runner-up: Pursuit of Happyness?).

[eyesonthehorizon]

There's a very fine line between being too artsy and getting boring/pretentious and being too commercial and ending up as mental pablum.

Is there though?

As I said, I used to love movies. There used to always be a movie out that I could really enjoy, artistic or blockbuster.

Plus the 90s was frickin' legendary for indie movies.

I think in part this is the increasing emphasis on shareholder value & fiduciary responsibility to those shareholders, combined with unprecedented easy access to sales metrics.

In the 90s, studio decisions usually came down to one or a small few chairmen - so as a creator you were thrown out on your ass if they didn't like you, but if you fit their vision, you could get funding for some really unique things that career-businessmen saw as wildly risky, because those patrons would take a chance on you. Nowadays, at least in Hollywood, those decisions are so optimized around what will sell/ merchandise well (hence infinite sequels, films with lots of visual spectaculars but simplistic language that will regionalize easily into foreign languages) that most the "weird," unique, memorable stuff gets axed. Departures from norms are financial risks, & the film industry is an industry that just happens to use films for the purpose of making gobs of money.

It was a double-edged sword to have art under that modified patronage system, since a lot of brilliant people were never even allowed to give a pitch, & we've conveniently forgotten a lot of the well-funded flops in a form of survivorship bias. But it had more room for films as cohesive artworks than today. Now we have films & TV that offer world-best performances, cinematography, costuming, effects, or music, but since the production (& especially the script) is beholden to a committee representing a board which has to satisfy a half-dozen major shareholders all pulling in different respective directions it beats a keen vision into a nondescript smear (...unless someone with enormous prestige or funding makes it their darling.)

[Tyson]

All decades of movies are great, in hindsight.  They never seem great when you are living through them. 

I've noticed this is true of books, art and music as well.  As a species we seem to really like to carp about things having declined or gone to hell during the current times. 

But, the past?  Oh man, the past was awesome!! 

Yeah, we're terrible at appreciating the great art that's happening currently. 

[StarBright]

We finished our Nicholas Cage-A-Thon (other than his latest movie, which we are waiting on from the library)

We watched:
Moonstruck
Peggy Sue Got Married
Raising Arizona
Red Rock West
Wild at Heart
Con Air
Leaving Las Vegas
Adaptation
Matchstick Men
Lord of War

I think Moonstruck might be a perfect movie, Red Rock West was a funny and entertaining surprise (but def a B movie), I did a lot of eye-rolling during Wild at Heart, the first act of Con Air is fantastic action movie storytelling, Adaptation is one still in my top 10 movies, and Matchstick men didn't hold up.

We wanted to watch Lord of War because Cage has said it is one of his favorite roles, and we enjoyed it, but didn't find it surprising or moving (maybe because it is 15 years old and felt like old news?).

But it was really fun to watch 30 years of his "good" films, one right after the other and we are excited to watch the Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. 

[GuitarStv]

All decades of movies are great, in hindsight.  They never seem great when you are living through them. 

I've noticed this is true of books, art and music as well.  As a species we seem to really like to carp about things having declined or gone to hell during the current times. 

But, the past?  Oh man, the past was awesome!! 

Yeah, we're terrible at appreciating the great art that's happening currently.

Our brains are wired to focus on extremes.

Robocop 3
Batman and Robin
Wild Wild West
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
Actually, the majority of ninja/karate movies.  And there were a LOT.  And I watched every one of them.
Blues Brothers 2000
Steel
Kazam Kazam (who the hell told Shaq he could act?)
Spawn
Actually, pretty much all the superhero movies sucked.
Double Dragon
Mortal Kombat
Super Mario Brothers
Actually, pretty much all the video game movies sucked.
North
Every movie that had Pauly Shore
Nearly every movie with Adam Sandler
Every movie that had Stephen Segal in it
Judge Dredd
Hudson Hawk


Never forget the golden era of movies that was the 90s.  :P

[Metalcat]

All decades of movies are great, in hindsight.  They never seem great when you are living through them. 

I've noticed this is true of books, art and music as well.  As a species we seem to really like to carp about things having declined or gone to hell during the current times. 

But, the past?  Oh man, the past was awesome!! 

Yeah, we're terrible at appreciating the great art that's happening currently.

N'ah...I loved movies in the 90s and early 2000s *at the time*. I went out to movies every weekend, sometimes twice a weekend. Absolutely adored movies. I lived with a movie producer at the time and she and I would do a movie and then go out to dinner and talk extensively about what we loved and didn't love about it. I also religiously watched the academy awards every year.

Now I struggle to find movies I can even tolerate. But when I do find a really great one, I love it the same way I used to love movies.

Movies are just different now. I'm not their target audience anymore, at least not for that majority of them.

[Metalcat]

All decades of movies are great, in hindsight.  They never seem great when you are living through them. 

I've noticed this is true of books, art and music as well.  As a species we seem to really like to carp about things having declined or gone to hell during the current times. 

But, the past?  Oh man, the past was awesome!! 

Yeah, we're terrible at appreciating the great art that's happening currently.

Our brains are wired to focus on extremes.

Robocop 3
Batman and Robin
Wild Wild West
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
Actually, the majority of ninja/karate movies.  And there were a LOT.  And I watched every one of them.
Blues Brothers 2000
Steel
Kazam Kazam (who the hell told Shaq he could act?)
Spawn
Actually, pretty much all the superhero movies sucked.
Double Dragon
Mortal Kombat
Super Mario Brothers
Actually, pretty much all the video game movies sucked.
North
Every movie that had Pauly Shore
Nearly every movie with Adam Sandler
Every movie that had Stephen Segal in it
Judge Dredd
Hudson Hawk


Never forget the golden era of movies that was the 90s.  :P

Really dude?

You're going to trigger me again?

After what I told you???

I feel attacked.

[GuitarStv]

All decades of movies are great, in hindsight.  They never seem great when you are living through them. 

I've noticed this is true of books, art and music as well.  As a species we seem to really like to carp about things having declined or gone to hell during the current times. 

But, the past?  Oh man, the past was awesome!! 

Yeah, we're terrible at appreciating the great art that's happening currently.

Our brains are wired to focus on extremes.

Robocop 3
Batman and Robin
Wild Wild West
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
Actually, the majority of ninja/karate movies.  And there were a LOT.  And I watched every one of them.
Blues Brothers 2000
Steel
Kazam Kazam (who the hell told Shaq he could act?)
Spawn
Actually, pretty much all the superhero movies sucked.
Double Dragon
Mortal Kombat
Super Mario Brothers
Actually, pretty much all the video game movies sucked.
North
Every movie that had Pauly Shore
Nearly every movie with Adam Sandler
Every movie that had Stephen Segal in it
Judge Dredd
Hudson Hawk


Never forget the golden era of movies that was the 90s.  :P

Really dude?

You're going to trigger me again?

After what I told you???

I feel attacked.

Well, I couldn't NOT put it on the bad movies list!

[Tyson]

All decades of movies are great, in hindsight.  They never seem great when you are living through them. 

I've noticed this is true of books, art and music as well.  As a species we seem to really like to carp about things having declined or gone to hell during the current times. 

But, the past?  Oh man, the past was awesome!! 

Yeah, we're terrible at appreciating the great art that's happening currently.

N'ah...I loved movies in the 90s and early 2000s *at the time*. I went out to movies every weekend, sometimes twice a weekend. Absolutely adored movies. I lived with a movie producer at the time and she and I would do a movie and then go out to dinner and talk extensively about what we loved and didn't love about it. I also religiously watched the academy awards every year.

Now I struggle to find movies I can even tolerate. But when I do find a really great one, I love it the same way I used to love movies.

Movies are just different now. I'm not their target audience anymore, at least not for that majority of them.

I would suggest that movies are not different, but you are.  It's possible to fall out of love or become disenchanted with an entire art form.  I know this happened for me with alternative pop about 2 decades ago.  Doesn't mean there isn't great alt-pop being made nowadays.  Just that it doesn't resonate with me anymore. 

For myself with movies, I find about 10% of movies to be good, 1% to be great, and .1% to be 'best of the decade'.  Same as every other decade.

[Metalcat]

All decades of movies are great, in hindsight.  They never seem great when you are living through them. 

I've noticed this is true of books, art and music as well.  As a species we seem to really like to carp about things having declined or gone to hell during the current times. 

But, the past?  Oh man, the past was awesome!! 

Yeah, we're terrible at appreciating the great art that's happening currently.

N'ah...I loved movies in the 90s and early 2000s *at the time*. I went out to movies every weekend, sometimes twice a weekend. Absolutely adored movies. I lived with a movie producer at the time and she and I would do a movie and then go out to dinner and talk extensively about what we loved and didn't love about it. I also religiously watched the academy awards every year.

Now I struggle to find movies I can even tolerate. But when I do find a really great one, I love it the same way I used to love movies.

Movies are just different now. I'm not their target audience anymore, at least not for that majority of them.

I would suggest that movies are not different, but you are.  It's possible to fall out of love or become disenchanted with an entire art form.  I know this happened for me with alternative pop about 2 decades ago.  Doesn't mean there isn't great alt-pop being made nowadays.  Just that it doesn't resonate with me anymore. 

For myself with movies, I find about 10% of movies to be good, 1% to be great, and .1% to be 'best of the decade'.  Same as every other decade.

Uh...okay...

I'm not going to justify my own opinions about my own taste in things.

Also, I never said movies used to be better, I started this all by joking that I'm getting to old to "get" what's considered a good movie these days.

Trust me, it's not that my taste has gotten more mature or refined, or any nonsense like that. There is a definite theme of very highly rated movies these days being painfully slow.

I now actually avoid movies that rate over 90% on rotten tomatoes, or at very least, I google them to see if people found them slow.

But sure, you probably know my own tastes better than I do ;P

[Michael in ABQ]

All decades of movies are great, in hindsight.  They never seem great when you are living through them. 

I've noticed this is true of books, art and music as well.  As a species we seem to really like to carp about things having declined or gone to hell during the current times. 

But, the past?  Oh man, the past was awesome!! 

Yeah, we're terrible at appreciating the great art that's happening currently.

Our brains are wired to focus on extremes.

Every movie that had Pauly Shore

Never forget the golden era of movies that was the 90s.  :P

"In the Army Now" was the most accurate depiction of Army Basic Training I ever saw. It didn't hurt that they filmed it at Fort Sill where I went through Basic Training about a decade later. Still, for that era (90s through early 2000s) it was spot on. However, by the mid-2000's things did start to change a bit based on lessons learned from Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Fresh Bread]

Watched Angel Has Fallen last night and really enjoyed it, it hit the spot for a Saturday night. Morgan Freeman plays the president that is almost assassinated and Gerard Butler plays the secret service agent who is being setup to take the blame. It had good pace - you don't have to wait too long before all the action starts and then it doesn't stop. Lots of explosions. Obviously you have to suspend your disbelief, you know exactly what's going to happen & can work out who the bad guys are within about 15 minutes, but if you want some mindless entertainment it's great! 

We started and gave up on two movies before this and everything else on our Netflix list was either a tearjerker or something worthy that we *should* watch but isn't really relaxing entertainment. Sometimes you just want explosions.

[slackmax]

All decades of movies are great, in hindsight.  They never seem great when you are living through them. 

I've noticed this is true of books, art and music as well.  As a species we seem to really like to carp about things having declined or gone to hell during the current times. 

But, the past?  Oh man, the past was awesome!! 

Yeah, we're terrible at appreciating the great art that's happening currently.

Our brains are wired to focus on extremes.

Robocop 3
Batman and Robin
Wild Wild West
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
Actually, the majority of ninja/karate movies.  And there were a LOT.  And I watched every one of them.
Blues Brothers 2000
Steel
Kazam Kazam (who the hell told Shaq he could act?)
Spawn
Actually, pretty much all the superhero movies sucked.
Double Dragon
Mortal Kombat
Super Mario Brothers
Actually, pretty much all the video game movies sucked.
North
Every movie that had Pauly Shore
Nearly every movie with Adam Sandler
Every movie that had Stephen Segal in it
Judge Dredd
Hudson Hawk


Never forget the golden era of movies that was the 90s.  :P

Just wanted to say thanks for slamming Adam Sandler. I criticized Sandler in a previous thread and a lot of Sandler lovers came out of nowhere to disagree.

Another case of 'how can anyone anywhere think this guy has any talent beyond cringeworthy 'kitsch'? OK, everyone has different taste, lol. 

[wenchsenior]

I enjoyed The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, even though I am not really a Nic Cage fan and haven't seen most of his movies (so likely missed some of the in-jokes).

[Sandi_k]

All decades of movies are great, in hindsight.  They never seem great when you are living through them. 

I've noticed this is true of books, art and music as well.  As a species we seem to really like to carp about things having declined or gone to hell during the current times. 

But, the past?  Oh man, the past was awesome!! 

Yeah, we're terrible at appreciating the great art that's happening currently.

Our brains are wired to focus on extremes.

Robocop 3
Batman and Robin
Wild Wild West
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
Actually, the majority of ninja/karate movies.  And there were a LOT.  And I watched every one of them.
Blues Brothers 2000
Steel
Kazam Kazam (who the hell told Shaq he could act?)
Spawn
Actually, pretty much all the superhero movies sucked.
Double Dragon
Mortal Kombat
Super Mario Brothers
Actually, pretty much all the video game movies sucked.
North
Every movie that had Pauly Shore
Nearly every movie with Adam Sandler
Every movie that had Stephen Segal in it
Judge Dredd
Hudson Hawk

Never forget the golden era of movies that was the 90s.  :P

You forgot a few from the 1980's:

- Big Trouble in Little China
- The Last Dragon
- Kentucky Fried Movie
- (more seriously now) The Karate Kid

[Weisass]

Finally got around to watching "Everything Everywhere All at Once." Truly a stunning film, and so creative it made my heart hurt. I think I will have to watch it again.

[slackmax]

Saw L.A. Confidential.  It was good, but I don't understand the way folks rave about it.

Also rewatched The Seventh Continent. Interesting movie with captivating actors, but very strange and sad.   

[wenchsenior]

Saw L.A. Confidential.  It was good, but I don't understand the way folks rave about it.

Also rewatched The Seventh Continent. Interesting movie with captivating actors, but very strange and sad.   

:gasp:pearlclutch:

:)

[FIRE Artist]

I watched Thirteen Lives last night.  I wasn’t really planning to watch it, after all, I know how the story ends, but I ended up really enjoying the movie and stayed up too late watching, even though I found the dive scenes very anxiety inducing.  I learned some behind the scenes things about the rescue and other initiatives that didn’t get coverage due to media blocks or just poor reporting. 

[evme]

I think I mentioned it before but there's any outstanding new documentary about two volcanologists that's just super weird and quirky and awesome.

Fire of Love

Very highly recommended.

[Weisass]

I watched a bunch of movies this week…

• zodiac
• everything everywhere all at once
• knives out

Of all of them, everything everywhere all at once was my fave. And hoping to go see “nope” in theatres this week.

[lost_in_the_endless_aisle]

Licorice Pizza -- Very promising start but ultimately lacking in terms of new ideas and meaningful storytelling to hold the movie together. Much of what happens in the middle is very arbitrary and doesn't really help build any interesting tension. 1/4th of a good movie, 3/4ths meh. I did learn that this was a thing, though.

I didn't know it was a PTA movie until after watching. My evaluation of his other movies:
Boogie Nights -- garish and rather terrible
The Master -- I have a strong feeling I watched this but don't remember anything, which is not a good sign!
There Will Be Blood -- very solid, but still somehow overrated
Magnolia -- impressively ambitious; will have to re-watch to get a smarter opinion
Punch Drunk Love -- very good
Hard Eight -- my favorite of his movies (even though I generally hate noir; carried, to a good extent, by Philip Baker Hall's zero bullshit performance)

[EscapeVelocity2020]

For being a free movie on Netflix, I thought Day Shift was really entertaining.  The action sequences are much better than the typical CGI / motion blur / fast cut junk that Morbius has now made infamous.  I would've thought I'd seen enough car chases to want to fast forward through them at this point, but the ability of drones to catch changes in perspective in one continuous shot has added a new dimension.  Very solid movie, jumps right in and hooked me, went in with low expectations and found myself watching every minute...  It's not life changing or anything, just solidly entertaining and polished.

[Samuel]

I watched Thirteen Lives last night.  I wasn’t really planning to watch it, after all, I know how the story ends, but I ended up really enjoying the movie and stayed up too late watching, even though I found the dive scenes very anxiety inducing.  I learned some behind the scenes things about the rescue and other initiatives that didn’t get coverage due to media blocks or just poor reporting.

I also went in to it not sure I'd watch the whole thing but it got me and I also stayed up later than I should have to finish it.

It's not always easy to make an engaging film with no antagonist where we all know the ending but Ron Howard apparently knows how to do it. There is a lot of Apollo 13 DNA in Thirteen Lives, in a very good way.

[slackmax]

Licorice Pizza -- Very promising start but ultimately lacking in terms of new ideas and meaningful storytelling to hold the movie together. Much of what happens in the middle is very arbitrary and doesn't really help build any interesting tension. 1/4th of a good movie, 3/4ths meh. I did learn that this was a thing, though.

I didn't know it was a PTA movie until after watching. My evaluation of his other movies:
Boogie Nights -- garish and rather terrible
The Master -- I have a strong feeling I watched this but don't remember anything, which is not a good sign!
There Will Be Blood -- very solid, but still somehow overrated
Magnolia -- impressively ambitious; will have to re-watch to get a smarter opinion
Punch Drunk Love -- very good
Hard Eight -- my favorite of his movies (even though I generally hate noir; carried, to a good extent, by Philip Baker Hall's zero bullshit performance)

I researched Hard Eight and it looks interesting. Thanks! 

Was interested in Punch Drunk Love but I see it has Adam Sandler in it, which is a deal breaker. Can't stand him.

[GuitarStv]

Licorice Pizza -- Very promising start but ultimately lacking in terms of new ideas and meaningful storytelling to hold the movie together. Much of what happens in the middle is very arbitrary and doesn't really help build any interesting tension. 1/4th of a good movie, 3/4ths meh. I did learn that this was a thing, though.

I didn't know it was a PTA movie until after watching. My evaluation of his other movies:
Boogie Nights -- garish and rather terrible
The Master -- I have a strong feeling I watched this but don't remember anything, which is not a good sign!
There Will Be Blood -- very solid, but still somehow overrated
Magnolia -- impressively ambitious; will have to re-watch to get a smarter opinion
Punch Drunk Love -- very good
Hard Eight -- my favorite of his movies (even though I generally hate noir; carried, to a good extent, by Philip Baker Hall's zero bullshit performance)

I researched Hard Eight and it looks interesting. Thanks! 

Was interested in Punch Drunk Love but I see it has Adam Sandler in it, which is a deal breaker. Can't stand him.

Check out the movie Hustle.  It has Adam Sandler in it . . . which very nearly made me not see it, but was a decent film and he was (gasp) fine in it.  It was the least Adam Sandlery I've ever seen Adam Sandler be.

[StarBright]

Licorice Pizza -- Very promising start but ultimately lacking in terms of new ideas and meaningful storytelling to hold the movie together. Much of what happens in the middle is very arbitrary and doesn't really help build any interesting tension. 1/4th of a good movie, 3/4ths meh. I did learn that this was a thing, though.

I didn't know it was a PTA movie until after watching. My evaluation of his other movies:
Boogie Nights -- garish and rather terrible
The Master -- I have a strong feeling I watched this but don't remember anything, which is not a good sign!
There Will Be Blood -- very solid, but still somehow overrated
Magnolia -- impressively ambitious; will have to re-watch to get a smarter opinion
Punch Drunk Love -- very good
Hard Eight -- my favorite of his movies (even though I generally hate noir; carried, to a good extent, by Philip Baker Hall's zero bullshit performance)

Magnolia is one of the only movies that has survived my twice a year DVD purges. I don't even think I've watched it in over a decade but it is a really neat movie. And the Aimee Mann soundtrack is *chef's kiss!

[iris lily]

Licorice Pizza -- Very promising start but ultimately lacking in terms of new ideas and meaningful storytelling to hold the movie together. Much of what happens in the middle is very arbitrary and doesn't really help build any interesting tension. 1/4th of a good movie, 3/4ths meh. I did learn that this was a thing, though.

I didn't know it was a PTA movie until after watching. My evaluation of his other movies:
Boogie Nights -- garish and rather terrible
The Master -- I have a strong feeling I watched this but don't remember anything, which is not a good sign!
There Will Be Blood -- very solid, but still somehow overrated
Magnolia -- impressively ambitious; will have to re-watch to get a smarter opinion
Punch Drunk Love -- very good
Hard Eight -- my favorite of his movies (even though I generally hate noir; carried, to a good extent, by Philip Baker Hall's zero bullshit performance)

I researched Hard Eight and it looks interesting. Thanks! 

Was interested in Punch Drunk Love but I see it has Adam Sandler in it, which is a deal breaker. Can't stand him.

Check out the movie Hustle.  It has Adam Sandler in it . . . which very nearly made me not see it, but was a decent film and he was (gasp) fine in it.  It was the least Adam Sandlery I've ever seen Adam Sandler be.

Sandler is now getting allocades as a fine actor. He got great reviews for Uncut Gems, a serious dramatic role.

[Kris]

Licorice Pizza -- Very promising start but ultimately lacking in terms of new ideas and meaningful storytelling to hold the movie together. Much of what happens in the middle is very arbitrary and doesn't really help build any interesting tension. 1/4th of a good movie, 3/4ths meh. I did learn that this was a thing, though.

I didn't know it was a PTA movie until after watching. My evaluation of his other movies:
Boogie Nights -- garish and rather terrible
The Master -- I have a strong feeling I watched this but don't remember anything, which is not a good sign!
There Will Be Blood -- very solid, but still somehow overrated
Magnolia -- impressively ambitious; will have to re-watch to get a smarter opinion
Punch Drunk Love -- very good
Hard Eight -- my favorite of his movies (even though I generally hate noir; carried, to a good extent, by Philip Baker Hall's zero bullshit performance)

I researched Hard Eight and it looks interesting. Thanks! 

Was interested in Punch Drunk Love but I see it has Adam Sandler in it, which is a deal breaker. Can't stand him.

Check out the movie Hustle.  It has Adam Sandler in it . . . which very nearly made me not see it, but was a decent film and he was (gasp) fine in it.  It was the least Adam Sandlery I've ever seen Adam Sandler be.

Sandler is now getting allocates as a fine actor. He got great reviews for Uncut Gems, a serious dramatic role.

I loved him in Punch Drunk Love.

[mspym]

We started watching Steel Magnolias and had to turn it off after 15 minutes because my goodness, that was A Lot.
I also tried and abandoned the new Persuasion at the 20 minute mark but that mess spurred me to rewatch the 1995 version which was just *chef's kiss*.

[getsorted]

We started watching Steel Magnolias and had to turn it off after 15 minutes because my goodness, that was A Lot.
I also tried and abandoned the new Persuasion at the 20 minute mark but that mess spurred me to rewatch the 1995 version which was just *chef's kiss*.

I read the review with the title that was something like, "Everyone involved in the new Persuasion should be in prison" and decided to skip it!

[Fresh Bread]

I took a 24hr flight and movies really are the best way to kill the time. I haven't done a long flight in a decade and back then I'm sure there were loads of new releases. Times and budgets have obviously changed so it was slim pickings.

I watched 2001: A Space Odyssey and still like it. Yes the date is wrong but it seems legit that AI will eventually rise and kill us. "Open the pod door, HAL!" I think I fell asleep just as the weird third movement and man's next adventure begins so I still can't really describe that, ha ha.

Later I watched Set! which is a documentary following various people that compete in themed table setting competitions at county fairs. What an insight into a world that I never new existed. Most of them were awful and the money that is spent on some of the entries - eek. They had to include a menu on the table and one of the entries for the theme "around the world" chose French fries to start, Chilli dogs for mains and I think chocolate cake for desert. So international. The film didn't make fun of the participants except by including that snippet. And I was gripped at the end when we were waiting to see who won.

[Frankies Girl]

Finally got around to watching "Everything Everywhere All at Once." Truly a stunning film, and so creative it made my heart hurt. I think I will have to watch it again.

Just watched this and it was really, really good. I do not ever want to rewatch it however. Sometimes things hit me so hard I know it's a one and done type of thing. I have turned very tenderhearted over the last few years and things about regrets/life choices are too much for me to experience over and over again. I felt the same about a book recently called The Midnight Library. (so good, but holy shit it hurt to read sometimes).

[slackmax]

...snip  ...
Check out the movie Hustle.  It has Adam Sandler in it . . . which very nearly made me not see it, but was a decent film and he was (gasp) fine in it.  It was the least Adam Sandlery I've ever seen Adam Sandler be.

OK, I didn't watch Hustle because it's a sports movie. But I did risk seeing Punch Drunk Love. I thought Sandler was better here than in Cut Gems. But I kept thinking "Why do they have to have Sandler as the main character? Wouldn't just about anyone be better?", lol.

Well, I must say I liked the movie, because it had a 'morality play' feel to it, and the good guy wins and gets the cute girl (does the good guy ever get the plain girl with a good heart? Probably somewhere, lol)

I guess the fact that Sandler is the main character is just a thing. It's a Sandler movie, Take it or leave it, right? Oh, well. I liked the movie.   

About the acting. Sandler was mediocre, as usual (although somehow believable here as the self-conscious, tortured nebbish) and I ended up liking his character.

Best acting by far was done by Seymour Hoffman. What a great portrayal of a classic sc*mbag. Nobody plays sc*mbag better than Hoffman, lol. 

[Sandi_k]

I re-watched Dead Again, a movie from the early 1990's. Starring Emma Thompson, Derek Jacobi, Andy Garcia, and Kenneth Brannagh (who also directed it).

Very fun romp in the neo-noir camp, with lots of visual jokes, and Brannagh playing a brash former LA cop-now-turned-detective. His LA accent comes and goes, but the writing is witty, and the acting is far above average. A bit of language, implied crimes, nothing really objectionable in today's world - but somehow rated R.

Free on Amazon Prime.

[Moonwaves]

I re-watched Dead Again, a movie from the early 1990's. Starring Emma Thompson, Derek Jacobi, Andy Garcia, and Kenneth Brannagh (who also directed it).

Very fun romp in the neo-noir camp, with lots of visual jokes, and Brannagh playing a brash former LA cop-now-turned-detective. His LA accent comes and goes, but the writing is witty, and the acting is far above average. A bit of language, implied crimes, nothing really objectionable in today's world - but somehow rated R.

Free on Amazon Prime.

I remember breaking mirrors and an imposing set of gates. Is that the one?

[Sandi_k]

I re-watched Dead Again, a movie from the early 1990's. Starring Emma Thompson, Derek Jacobi, Andy Garcia, and Kenneth Brannagh (who also directed it).

Very fun romp in the neo-noir camp, with lots of visual jokes, and Brannagh playing a brash former LA cop-now-turned-detective. His LA accent comes and goes, but the writing is witty, and the acting is far above average. A bit of language, implied crimes, nothing really objectionable in today's world - but somehow rated R.

Free on Amazon Prime.

I remember breaking mirrors and an imposing set of gates. Is that the one?

Yep.

[slackmax]

The Humans. I admit, I got it simply because Amy Schumer is in it. So far it is slow, but OK. Lots of dialog between relatives stuck together in a Manhattan apartment for a get-together.   Only have watched 20 minutes so far. It is supposed to get scary soon!

Oh, Amy has no makeup on, it seems, is quite chubby, and is a Lesbian in this movie. She looks pretty good even without makeup.

[Noodle]

I'm listening to a podcast that specializes in talking about movies, mostly older, that focus on women and/or women's issues; some I had seen many years ago and others were new to me. So far I have watched Baby Boom, The Pajama Game, Mr. Mom, Beaches, Love Story, and Troop Beverly Hills. Of those, surprisingly, I thought Troop Beverly Hills aged the best. Obviously there was some humor a scriptwriter wouldn't include today, but overall it's still a charming movie.

Also have watched a few things on Netflix. I was so-so on the new Persuasion movie, but really liked "The Wedding Season" about an Indian couple who start out fake-dating to fend off their parents but then discover they really like each other. Also somehow discovered I had never seen the older movie "Practical Magic." I liked it a lot (I think I had gotten it mixed up with Witches of Eastwick.)