Last Movie Watched Thread

I watched Stake Land this weekend. It was okay. I thought it would be a little more post-apocalyptic fighting vampires kind of thing, but it was a little more contained then that. The vampires didn't look that great, they were mostly fast zombies with fangs. The story was kind of a western centered more around the protagonists fighting some religious cult and only really having to avoid at most 5-6 vampires at a time.

I'll need to check out Pontypool, though. It's been in my Netflix queue for a while.

Snowpiercer was amazing. Holy fuck, how did I miss this in the theaters? This started out with a pretty original concept, and somehow got more and more creative as it went on, and it was just a really awesome movie. Also, Allison Pill.

SPOILERS


SPOILERS

That was me at the end!

Watched three movies since friday, here are some thoughts.

Nightcrawler(2014): It was brilliant. One of the best character pieces I've seen, and the best performance of Jake Gyllenhaal's career. The major scene of the film is just so tense, and wonderfully shot. Also like that it is a wholly original film. First film I've actually seen in theaters for quite sometime and I am very glad I picked this one to go see, even if I almost missed it because the projector was broken and after sitting for like 20 or 30 minutes deciding to leave with the people I went with. However it started running while we were still within earshot of the particular room. Really fucking shitty though of the staff to not once come in and talk and explain to the crowd what was going on, before or after. One of the people in the theater had to call a friend who worked at the theater just to get any word on it. Also, this film passes the Matt review-o meter, as it is better than Drive(2011)

Wreck-It Ralph(2012): Watched this one with the nephew. Very delightful and fun film. I really like films that take something, like in this case video games, and then make up a fantastical world of how something like it works. Here with the games being their own worlds that are connected through a train station/power strip. Of course there is more to the film than that. The plot was very sweet and touching, and the characters were great, and it was fun all around. Disney sure does love to have their kids films be filled with lots of horrible moments to tug at your heart strings though. Seriously, I get more upset at kids/family films than I do most anything else. As for the patented and dead on balls accurate Matt's review-o meter, it is better than Drive(2011)

Stoker(2013): This was a very interesting film, and I'm still trying to process my feelings about it. First off, Matthew Goode was fantastic in this, and his character of Charlie was just a great villain. The directing and aesthetic of the film is very good, but I do feel at times as if it was style over substance. And that I think is how I feel about the movie as a whole really. It's good for sure and but there are times where it does feel empty and the flair of the movie is the only thing that is holding it up. And I was a bit disappointed by Mia Wasikowska's performance, where I wasn't with Matthew Goode or Nicole Kidman. Though this could just be more of a subjective thing, since mostly stoic and emotionless characters are very hit or miss for me, which this last point is the perfect segue into the Matt review-o meter! Coming soon for TV shows, video games, and breakfast cereals! This film was better than Drive(2011)

Alright, does this sound familiar to anyone out there? There was this vampire movie my brother and I rented way back when(It was a VHS for gosh darn sake!). For some reason the vampires slept with their lungs outside their body. It would show them going to sleep and their bodies would start jerking and somehow they would spit up their lungs which flopped down on their chests. The guy that saved the day was some drunken priest (possibly former priest). There was an old panel truck with a giant light up cross on top of it. I think the truck actually belonged to some crazy fundie and not the drunken priest, but I am not sure. At some point towards the end of the movie the preacher takes the giant cross and fixes is to the front of the truck as a battering ram. I hope someone knows what this movie is, because I would like to watch it again.

You are the greatest hero in American history

Guardians of the Galaxy(2014) - Fun movie. Didn't reinvent the wheel or anything, but aside from pretty underwhelming villains* it was a good time, not great. A few moments I really did like, Groot stealing the battery they needed in the prison escape and the distraction by Quill. The Matt review-o meter gives it a score of being better than Drive(2011)



*The MCU in general has a really bad villain problem. Outside of Loki there has been no really memorable villains(I'm kinda not counting winter soldier since he turns not bad by the end of Cap 2 and was also not in that much, knowing how that played out in the comic books did shade it differently for me). Red Skull was probably second best, but he wasn't anything special. I think the reason why I liked Cap 2 so much is that outside of the Winter Solider the villains were just pretty much faceless mooks. It was a spy thriller, and there was more attributed to the mystery and how the hero was trying to solve it. While in all the other MCU films the Villains did have a more proactive role.

Serpico: I refuse to believe Lenny Leonard's voice wasn't based on Al Pacino here.

Whiplash: Not perfect, but still damn good. I had so many thoughts about it running through my mind as I left the theater. J.K. Simmons is especially riveting. I mean, got damn.

Yeah, but he breathes fire and has an awesome dragon tattoo.

John Wick was really cool. The action scenes were slick and exciting--the nightclub one in particular--but what sets this one apart is the world-building. It doesn't hurt to have so many amazing actors in your cast to build that world, either.

Also, reloading exists! Take note, other action movie directors.

Next thing you will be telling me is that he used to be a total nerd with bad hair.

Cancelling netflix instant?







If anyone is asking themselves did I put my finger to my tongue and then make a sizzle sound to indicate that that was in fact a wicked burn, I did.

It's the next day and I still feel drained by Interstellar. I didn't like a lot of things about it, but I don't remember the last time an epic managed to overwhelm me with its scope. The last time that happened was the first time I saw 2001. So yeah, go see Interstellar. We need more stuff like it.

This is 40: look, I know Judd Apatow takes a lot of flak for this one, and rightfully so, but as a series of vignettes it's excellent.  Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann have amazing chemistry.  Also Apatow has the biggest thing for directing other actors getting with his wife since Tim Burton.

I also loved this movie and I'm glad I'm not the only one. It's so relaxed and charming.