Recently Watched Movies

So I put off watching this movie for about 11 years and I've been trying to see it for the past three years, but it took that long for it to come on cable for free.  And I will be begin by saying that I was thinking during the majority of this movie that it really was NOT worth the wait.  About 2/3rds of the way through I was ready to write a review really trashing it and I didn't know where to begin.  The plot is a mess and good luck connecting how scene B leads into scene C or what the CIA was doing in South America and what was Bane doing there in the first place.  How about the awful fight choreography that harkens back to the Adam West years? Where there was little evolution shown in this flick regarding the action genre as I watch a guy, time after time, throw an easily telegraphed roundhouse punch and Batman ducks then throws a series of body shots followed by the dreaded double-fisted axe-handle to the solar plexus ala Billy Mummy in Lost In Space or Bill Shatner's Star Trek.  Just like Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon, even in the midst of a battle between hundreds, if not thousands of combatants, Batman is enabled to enter into mono-e-mono combat with the film's main villain without any interference from the other combatants...

I don't believe for a second that Anne Hathaway could put Tiny Tim in a headlock much less take out Bane's trained killer henchmen in a split second through a series of gymnastic moves that usually end in some sort of scissors hold and flipping them.  Although I do admit Hathaway did a fine job portraying Catwoman in a sly and enigmatic matter.  

What is supposed to be the coup-de-gras of the film is the bombing of the football field where an entire field disintegrates while a player takes a ball into the end zone then turns around and observes the carnage seemingly disaffected.  It was rather comical to me.  And how did Bane get all these henchmen to plant so much explosives throughout the entire city?  Mind-boggling to me, but maybe it was an homage to the original series where the villains pull off impossible events time after time. For instance Burgess Meredith's Penguin constructs an entire tank inside of a bank's vault out of the stored gold and takes on the entire Gotham City police force as he makes a miraculous escape from the law.

Then, something miraculous happened, and I really changed my tune on the flick, Batman turned the tide and I regained a sense of optimism and faith in humanity.  The theme of the film emerged: no matter how dark and desolate the situation, the Saviour will come through in the end.  Turns out a lot of the loose ends get connected in the final 20 minutes and the sunshine is quite enlightening to the emotions.  The dark journey of hopelessness really turns into a sensation of catharsis and is quite a satisfying viewing experience.  

As there are in most Chris Nolan scripts this one contains a Hitchcockian twist and it works quite well and, I admit, didn't see it coming in any way whatsoever - quite befuddled how the wool was successfully pulled over the eyes.  No clues or hints going to be given here.  So, it was a bit of a trial to maintain an objective stance to the end, but it turned out to be worth it even though the jumping scene in the prison is a bit on the silly side (last cheap shot).

Now I will go onto viewing the most recent Batman flick ASAP (aka 5 years plus or so)...

57 Seconds

The reviews were harsh. I had to check it out. I liked it more than I thought I would.

Amazon Prime Video just included all the 007 movies. I'm working my way through them. I've watched the first 4. Rotten Tomatoes rates them high 90's, but that must be just b/c they were groundbreaking at the time. Pretty boring now.

I’ve never been able to get into Bond as much as I feel I should. I liked most of the Daniel Craig ones, but that’s about it.

I have the 50 year box set. Now I just add the new releases to it.

Pethead wrote:I’ve never been able to get into Bond as much as I feel I should. I liked most of the Daniel Craig ones, but that’s about it.

My wife only likes the Pierce Brosnan ones. They are slick, fast, and pretty much bloodless. The Craig ones are two gritty  for her.

Pretty freaky, particularly the first 2/3. 


My favorite horror film set in an asylum is still Session 9, though.

This one was frustrating. It’s one of the earliest found footage horror films, being done mostly in a mockumentary style. The majority of the film is excellent, unnerving, slow-burn horror and I was prepared to recommend it wholeheartedly. But the ending is so terrible that it essentially ruins the film.

Sevenoneself wrote:

Pethead wrote:I’ve never been able to get into Bond as much as I feel I should. I liked most of the Daniel Craig ones, but that’s about it.

My wife only likes the Pierce Brosnan ones. They are slick, fast, and pretty much bloodless. The Craig ones are two gritty  for her.

The Timothy Dalton ones are underrated.  And I really enjoyed Roger Moore as Bond - he was the one I grew up with and I don't care if it's not an authentic depiction.  He was funny, suave, and entertaining.  To me, he is James Bond even though he is not according to die hards.

Superjuice wrote:  And I really enjoyed Roger Moore as Bond - he was the one I grew up with and I don't care if it's not an authentic depiction.  He was funny, suave, and entertaining.  To me, he is James Bond even though he is not according to die hards.

In case you are not aware, Roger Moore was supposed to have been the first James Bond. But contractual obligations to The Saint TV series kept him from the role for several years.

Very early found footage film on a shoestring budget. Unsettling enough to be worth a look for fans of the genre.

Sadly, this was pretty bad. I was a fan of the first game, although my interest steadily waned after that. The animatronics looked great, but the movie itself was not good.

Fast X. The tenth film in the Fast and the Furious franchise, and I think it's getting a bit cartoonish. Still, enjoyable enough, the post-credits scene brings back a popular character, and there's a lot of discussion about the importance of faith.

I showed my oldest son some of Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964). He enjoyed it, which makes sense as it’s one of the best in the series. Without prompting, he started referring to Godzilla as “the big guy.”

Me and my son like to watch all the Godzilla movies every now and then. I wish he liked my music as much as he likes my taste in movies.

Sometime next year
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

^ I just saw a trailer for next years Planet of the Apes. So awesome, looks like the best in the franchise.

Today saw The Marvels at a very cool old theater in SF

Ready Or Not
The Menu 
The Hunt

Ready Or Not was a lot of fun! The ending was great. What'd you think of the other two? I thought both looked pretty decent.

P.s. my wife really liked the theme song for Ready Or Not and plays it for our kids sometimes hahahaha.

Kerrick wrote:P.s. my wife really liked the theme song for Ready Or Not and plays it for our kids sometimes hahahaha.

I hope it is better than the Tourniquet song of the same name.

CrimsonWarrior wrote:

Kerrick wrote:P.s. my wife really liked the theme song for Ready Or Not and plays it for our kids sometimes hahahaha.

I hope it is better than the Tourniquet song of the same name.

You can be the judge!it's not thrash... so it's a safe assumption that it is indeed better hahaha.

Godzilla Minus One looks like it will be good.  I will be seeing that.