Last movie watched...

[pictsy]

Red Sonja (1985). Brigitte Nielsen portrays the comic book version of Robert E. Howard's Red Sonya character. Objectively it's a terrible film, but there's a lot to like. Most especially Ernie Reyes, Jr. and Paul Smith (the Beast Rabban). As S&S films go there are many worse ones.

Conan the Barbarian (1982). My favourite S&S film by miles. Perfect? No. Fun. Yes!

Yes.  I watched these two, Destroyer and Conan the reboot last year. I loved Red Sonja as a kid and you are very right about it.  The acting in it is almost unbearable, but I love Queen Gedren, the problematic evil lesbian.  She's great to watch.  If I were evil, she'd be my role model.

Barbarian has a grim charm to it the others lack and it's probably the best made.  I did enjoy Destroyer and reboot as well.

[pictsy]

13 going on 30

This is one of those films where I'm not entirely sure whether I've seen it before or not.  It is largely a Big knockoff.  So it's got uncomfortable visuals of a grown woman hitting on a kid and having a slumber party with the kids.  It fits with the story and the premise, but it is jarring and tonally weird compared to the rest of the film.  Hmm, maybe that's not the right way to say it because there are a number of tonally weird parts that still make narrative sense.  So the film is a little weird.

Andy Serkis is in it and he's not CGI.  He plays the boss character.  A character that isn't, as is usually the case with this type of comedy, an absolute arsehole.  I liked his character.  Mark Ruffalo is the love interest and I like him.  He has this laid back, lazy charm in whatever I've seen him in.  He'd also make an excellent Collumbo, imo.  Jennifer Garner works as the lead, giving a sweet performance that oozed naivety.

The movie fails in presenting a coherent moral or message.  There's stuff in there about not being mean, living a life without regret, appreciating what you have, grow up, don't grow up, have fun, appreciate real people etc. etc.  It also lacks the standard end of second act conflict where our two main leads have a falling out that needs to be resolved in the third act.  I'm going to count that last one in the movies favour.

Overall, I liked it.  It is a very cute film that has bizarre choices in places and breaks a number of conventions of the genre.  Also, Garner rocks those late 90's early 2000's up do hairstyles I love and wish I could pull of myself.

[milstar]

Shocker (1989)

Reportedly, this Craven's film was supposed to start another horror franchise with the title character, and in response to Freddy Krueger becoming household name in meantime. Ultimately, Shocker turned to be a lot cheesier film than A Nightmare on Elm Street and its successors. Like, just watch the last 10 minutes. But, still, for what it is, it's still quite entertaining film. I liked the black humor and heavy rock soundtrack which, I believe, is born for slasher flicks. Shocker may not be A nightmare on Elm Street, but...

[pictsy]

Shocker (1989)

Reportedly, this Craven's film was supposed to start another horror franchise with the title character, and in response to Freddy Krueger becoming household name in meantime. Ultimately, Shocker turned to be a lot cheesier film than A Nightmare on Elm Street and its successors. Like, just watch the last 10 minutes. But, still, for what it is, it's still quite entertaining film. I liked the black humor and heavy rock soundtrack which, I believe, is born for slasher flicks. Shocker may not be A nightmare on Elm Street, but...

I tried watching this one before I started my Elm Street thing, but unfortunately fell asleep through most of it because I was so tired.  I watched it as a kid but I don't really remember it well.  From the bits I remember seeing it took a while for it's premise to kick in and was pretty goofy.  I was disappointed I fell asleep.

[Professor Bear]

13 going on 30

Any movie whose premise means the male characters want to fuck a 13 year-old is arguably going to have a few problems, but I still thought someone involved might, at some point in production, have said "do we really need the scene where an underage girl "who looks older" wakes up in a stranger's bedroom and then he chases her around trying to force her to have sex with him?"  Apart from anything else, from her point of view, he's saying he had sex with her while she slept, so... I dunno, it really feels like someone human - preferably female - should have read the script before they started shooting.

[pictsy]

13 going on 30

Any movie whose premise means the male characters want to fuck a 13 year-old is arguably going to have a few problems, but I still thought someone involved might, at some point in production, have said "do we really need the scene where an underage girl "who looks older" wakes up in a stranger's bedroom and then he chases her around trying to force her to have sex with him?"  Apart from anything else, from her point of view, he's saying he had sex with her while she slept, so... I dunno, it really feels like someone human - preferably female - should have read the script before they started shooting.

To be fair to the film he doesn't chase her around in an attempt to force her into sex at the beginning of the film nor is it suggested he had sex with her specifically whilst she was asleep.

He comes out of the bathroom before having a shower, exposes himself and tells her she can join him if she wants whilst she leaves.  Then he leans out the window when she is on the street and shouts "Don't make me come down there and grab you."  Later in the film he does do a strip tease in front of her.  Then he just disappears.  What happened to him?  Did she dump him?  Did he get eaten by a shark?  Did he return to his home planet?  Who knows, he's gone and we don't have to tense up every time he is on screen.

I'm not defending any of this, just clarifying the problem.

Also, one of the writers is a woman, for whatever that's worth.

[Rara Avis]

That's not what happened. He went to bed with his 30 year old girl and when she woke up her 13 year old self had been zapped into her adult body. At no point during the movie does she tell him what happened to her.

[Rara Avis]

Recently (this morning) I came across an Ari Aster short (the Herditary, Midsomar guy). This was his film thesis. This is an excellent but deeply disturbing movie so please do not watch if you are triggered by sexual abuse and violence.

The Strange Thing About The Johnsons - https://vimeo.com/155016328

[The Legendary Shark]

Midsommar. Shitesommar, more like. I really find this kind of thing so boring - naïve civilised people getting nailed to things, chopped up and/or set on fire by a commune of happy-clappy lunatics dressed in foliage. Some nice effects work, though.

[Tiplodocus]

I'd have gone for MIDSHITE. Which is where I am right now.

[Rara Avis]

I love that movie, it's an absolute masterpiece <shrug emoji>

[pictsy]

Reading the synopsis of the film, it's not something I'm drawn to.  Communes of death that evoke Satanic panic and/or Charles Manson's Family rarely appeal to me.  It was something I really disliked in Bad Times at the El Royale.

Saying that, I was nearly put off from watching The Endless because there's a commune and that film was totally worth the watch.  Also, Mandy has it and I thought it worked well.

[pictsy]

Hardcore Henry

OK.  Gonna start with big problems.  There is gross ableism in this film, "woman as betrayer" misogynistic trope, a couple of instances of homophobia and a "might is right" mindset.  I'm ok with the ultra violence.

This is one hell of a film.  The protagonist has no dialogue.  It would have been cool if we never saw him either, given it's first person throughout, but they kinda chicken out there at the end.  The first person perspective is utilized very well.  The editing is amazing.  There is some cinematographic weight in this film and achieves something that I don't think can be adequately replicated.  This is a film that adapts the FPS gaming experience.  It has the violence, the attitude (including scummy parts), the structure, the set pieces, the villain and the really dumb story.  A really dumb story with some very interesting ideas.  I don't think this is a movie worth dismissing for those of us that love film.  This is a feat in film making, it is a frenetic roller-coaster and it's a lot of fun.

That being said, I could easily understand someone hating this film.  It is a lot and not nice.  I could see it making people feel motion sickness.  It is relentless ultra violence.  It is not self-aware.  Personally, I largely still enjoyed watching it again.

[Funt Solo]

Midsommar is a movie about a woman dealing with post-traumatic stress, who finds herself turning to her ill-equipped boyfriend for support because there's nobody else available. Whilst there is also a surface plot, this is really a movie about a woman in need of empathy who is not finding it in her available society.

It's also incredibly atmospheric, wonderfully acted (especially by the lead, Florence Pugh) and disturbingly wrought. I would say it's better than it's most obvious inspiration (which I'm deliberately failing to mention in a vain attempt to avoid major spoilers) primarily because I believe this has a more relatable subtext.

It doesn't get under the skin on the same level as Under the Skin, but then what does?

Inserting whimsical faeces-related bon mots into the title to construct a derogatory portmanteau rather demonstrates one's failure to comprehend.

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Captain Marvel was quite good fun, and leaned heavily into the formula of "just make sure Samuel L. Jackson is tagging along". As a comparison, I had to switch Ant-Man and the Wasp off after a bit because Paul Rudd.

[pictsy]

As a comparison, I had to switch Ant-Man and the Wasp off after a bit because Paul Rudd.

This would get you sent to bed without supper in my house

That film was a let down.  Still, I found the Ant-Man in End Games was worse.  That fan-boy thing got on my nerves, but then again whole film got on my nerves.

My favourite thing in Captain Marvel is her neon costume.  Such an awesome look.  I remember enjoying the film as well.