What general film/series have you just seen.. marks out of 5

[EvaUnit02]

The Princess Bride (1987) - 3/5
Watched the other month on Amazon Prime Video. Felt like I was watching something written by Joss Whedon. WAY didn't live up to the years worth of hype from people quoting and sharing memes online. HUGE bullet dodged by not blind buying it, spending a premium on the Criterion 4k.

[EvaUnit02]

Extreme Prejudice (1987) - 4/5
Holy shit! This has to be the most bad ass, masculine movie that I've seen in recent memory. How had I never heard of this prior? Stellar cast of character actors who chewed right through the scenery. Kick ass action. When it came to the final shoot out scene there was so much slo-mo, it felt like Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch reborn.

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[EvaUnit02]

In a Violent Nature (2024) - 4/5
Canadian copypasta Jason Vorhees murders unlikeable young people. Some gory kills. Creative filmmaking for the genre:- entirely ambient soundscape; long shots; largely POV of the killer, like it's a 3rd person game.

LOL thing of note: shot in entirely in 4K, but they use 4:3 aspect ratio. Some real hipster energy there. This is an indie filmmaker equivalent of indie games with 8-bit pixel art + chiptunes music. At least they didn't go for some real "faux retro hipster" cringe like adding VHS tracking artefacts or a film grain filter (there is some real grain at times from shooting digital cameras in a low ISO "night mode").

Disappointment: annoying woke Gen Z girl has a lame death.

[EvaUnit02]

Talk to Me (2023, Australia) - 4/5
Flatliners meets The Exorcist. Good character work, performances (the lead actress playing Mia was very good. As was the boy playing Riley) and practical makeup.

Apparently the filmmakers are massive Youtubers with a big Gen Z audience. I had never heard of them prior.

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[EvaUnit02]

Poltergeist (1982, USA) - 4/5
Fun film overall. The practical effects are neato.

I'm inclined to believe the rumours that Spielberg ghost directed this. It feels like a natural fit next to Close Encounters, ET and Jurassic Park. I watched Texas Chainsaw 1 & 2 when they came to 4K and I'm getting none of the same energy here. The careless property developer who cares more about profits more than respecting the dead reminds me of the mayor from Jaws, who valued profits more than lake/beach visitors' safety.

The 5.1 on this disc is a killer! Too bad they didn't do an Atmos remix though.

LOL, epilepsy warning on the slipcase.

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[grim_tales]

Star Wars - Episode IV (USA, 1977): 4/5

For the time, this must have been a technical marvel. And what an influence it had on so many early things (early video games for example - that thing where you have to shoot a spaceship/boss in the exact centre..?)

[grim_tales]

Deadpool and Wolverine (2024) - first time viewing (cinema): 4.25/5

I really enjoyed it! Violent, foul mouthed fun, that even has a bit of heart somewhere

[grim_tales]

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (USA, 1980) - first time: 4/5

[grim_tales]

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (USA, 1983): 4/5

An exciting and satisfying conclusion to the (first) trilogy. I didn't see the Theatrical version but one of the Special Editions, I'm sure
At the end, the ghosts of Obi-Wan, Yoda and Vader/Anakin are standing together, but Anakin looks like he did in Episode II, so Lucas must have altered something.
I don't remember Vader removing his mask

[Markgway]

Now go watch the theatrical cuts and see how they were meant to be seen!

[EvaUnit02]

Megalopolis - 3/5 (2024, USA)
Saw Francis Ford Coppola's indie big budget epic in IMAX tonight. Was just fine, certainly an interesting watch. I think being on digital video gave the film a bit of a cheap look (which obviously wasn't case). Found Shia LaBeouf's Claudio character to be annoying, as did I with Caesar's drugged out bender scenes during the Wow Platinum-grandpa Crassus wedding celebrations.

Would I recommend it? As a curiosity to long time film buffs I certainly would.

Now go watch the theatrical cuts and see how they were meant to be seen!

Google Despecialized 4K77, 4K80, and 4K83.

[grim_tales]

Joker: Folie a Deux (2024): 3/5

I didn't think it was as good as the first one. Phoenix and Lady Gaga are both good but the fact it's a musical (the numbers mostly seem to be in someone's fantasy) add to the weirdness

[grim_tales]

Dirty Harry (USA, 1971) - cinema: 4.25/5

Clint is excellent in this, really good movie. Was it somewhat controversial when it came out?

[EvaUnit02]

Interstellar (2014) - 3/5
Super cornball movie, with a telegraphed, predictable plot. I saw coming from a mile away the plot twist of who the film's "villain" was going to be. I hoped to myself while watching that there wasn't going to be a fist fight between the hero and villain + a chase. There were pretty much both of those things + they were preceded by a Bond villain monologue! 

You think you're getting a hard sci-fi movie, hell nah. Chris Nolan really bamboozled Hollywood into letting him make a $165 million USD religious movie. (A central pillar theme is blind faith in things that aren't measurable by known science.) This is the most expensive Angel Studios/Daily Wire production ever!

Why I have rated it fairly high despite the writing? The technical filmmaking is masterclass as usual for Nolan. The cropped IMAX shots that Nolan is known for are a sight to behold. I dunno why Nolan has clung onto only doing 5.1 sound mixes (as opposed to Atmos or even 7.1), but they're superb ones which do shake your house!

[Markgway]

Deadpool and Wolverine (2024) - first time viewing (cinema): 4.25/5

I really enjoyed it! Violent, foul mouthed fun, that even has a bit of heart somewhere

Damn. I tried watching this on Disney + and found it insufferable. I barely made it to the 35 min mark before switching off. If this smug drivel is what passes for cinema they can keep it.

[grim_tales]

Sorry Mark

Have you seen any of the other Deadpool movies?

[Markgway]

I saw the others, yes. I made it thru them so I guess they didn't bother me as much. But I'm pretty much done with comic book movies now. After several duds in a row I can't take it anymore. Wasn't even my favourite genre to begin with.

[grim_tales]

Fair enough Different strokes for different folks and all that, I've enjoyed the ones I've seen going back to Raimi's Spiderman, Spiderman No Way Home (great fun), Guardians of the Galaxy, the first Avengers and Deadpool. But there seems so many of them getting made - do we need to see a young Madam Webb movie for example..?

[EvaUnit02]

Beetlejuice 2 (2024) - 3/5.

Fun film overall. The core plot thread with Lydia and daughter Astrid butting heads was a compelling one. The returning cast was in top form regardless of their respective ages. The new cast members were good too.

Agree with the common criticism that there's too many characters. Eg The plotline with the murderous ex-wife was unnecessary and went nowhere.