What'd ya last watch? (Movies)

[4EverGreen]

On TV, I saw the 1984 movie version of "A Christmas Carol" starring George C. Scott (which I had never seen before), and in movie theaters; I saw "Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny" which I highly suggest you see in movie theaters; it's EPIC!!!! Enough said, true believers!

[Old Man Jenkins]

Saw Dial of Destiny a week ago. I went in with the barest, most minimum expectations and turned out being just aight to me. I’m sure others expecting slightly more will say it amounted to less than that, but who’ll go into an Indy movie in 2023 with expectations at this point? I haven’t seen Crystal Skull since the first time I watched all those years ago, but I wouldn’t say I was one of those people who outright hated it. Flawed sure, but it was a decent Indy flick for me at that time. I’d say Dial of Destiny and Crystal Skull rank about the same for me, but if I had to absolutely choose, I guess I’d choose Crystal Skull but not by a whole lot. Crystal Skull still had a sense of, I guess, “whimsy” that I felt Dial had less of. I didn’t quite feel the grandiosity of this particular adventure until the very end. Mads does well as the villain, he and his crew felt like an imposing enough threat throughout the movie. Better than Crystal Skull’s baddies but maybe that’s just my Mads bias. Wish they used Antonio Banderas more. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish makes me wanna see his future roles make the most of him. I wanted to like the Fleabag actress’ character, but she was mostly ehh. She plays the role well, but the character itself needed more work imo. It was pretty depressing to watch knowing this’ll be Harrison Ford’s last hurrah with the hat and whip and this movie is very much for nostalgia bait purposes to get more people into the theater (which for my showing, the room was definitely less than half capacity. On premiere night), and Indy goes out more with a light spark than a bang here. Again IMO. Just let this franchise rest already. And Harrison Ford, you finally go home and get that rest, champ. 

and last night, I finally got to watch No More Hard Feelings. I’m not necessarily as big of a J-Law fan as the next person, but this one was really good and she turns in a hell of a performance for something as raunchy as this. It handles the outlandish premise with enough tact to wring something genuinely heartfelt out of it. Big recommend for the R-rated comedy aficionados out there!

[4EverGreen]

Earlier today, I saw Wes Anderson's latest movie, "Asteroid City", in movie theaters. A well-made and wonderfully acted movie. My only (very small) complaint, is that SOME of the big name actors were WOEFULLY under-utilized more than they SHOULD have been! Enough said, true believers!

[Old Man Jenkins]

Watched Insidious: The Red Door last Thursday. I wanted to love it, but I only ended up kinda liking it. Scares were minimal and mostly just jump scares that REALLY make use of dat theater surround sound, the one built up good enough scare got spoiled in trailers and ads, the entities (or kind of a lack thereof) were very underwhelming. The Red Faced Demon’s intimidation factor really died down through the years due to the Darth Maul memes and whatnot, but I was at least hoping they would play up the fun camp with him like how exuded in the first movie, but he ended up just being a whole lotta nothing sandwich. Multiple movies beyond just the first two of build up (albeit lackluster) and he goes out with a faint whimper. And all the hype in the marketing campaign being all like “you’re not ready for what’s beyond the door” and it ends up being the same demon’s lair as in the first movie, but somehow not as good and with less atmosphere. And that’s another thing, the last two movies spent a good amount of their runtimes dedicated to setting up something with these red doors and how they’re gateways to all sort of demonic lairs in the further, which kinda gave me the implication that there was some sorta demon power struggle behind the scenes that would come to a crescendo in The Red Door, but that ended up not being the case and we just get that pretty lame ending for Darth Maul here. It was nice revisiting the family from the first two movies and they hold this movie down and keep it from being a complete disappointment, but it kinda sucks that they spend majority of the movie separated and doing their own thing. It’s by design and they make it make sense, but still, the familial unit held it down in those first two movies. And Carl from the second movie shows up for a brief scene in the beginning and then just ceases to be for the rest of it. Just found that weird since it seemed like it was building to him returning to help once again in the climax. I am kinda glad that Specs and Tucker got relegated to cameos ala The Ghostfacers in Supernatural. Chapters 3 and 4 really like overexposed their shtick. And I’m glad they did same with Elise to be perfectly honest. Her not having an active role like even in Chapter 2 made the Lamberts’ victory feel very well earned since they pull it off by themselves. Overall, it’s a nice ending to The Lamberts’ story, but as an overall ending to everything, it leaves a lot to be desired. I have a sentimental value when it comes to this franchise, so it just sucks to see it not go out with a good enough bang. I wouldn’t mind seeing Patrick Wilson direct again tho.

and last night I attended a mystery movie and it turned out to be Talk To Me. I thought it was pretty good, better than Insidious: The Red Door, but the ending kinda fell flat for me. I get what they were trying to go for, but idk. It just didn’t gel with me as well as the rest of the movie. I’ll probably catch it again once it gets its wider release. It’s nice to see something out of Australia get a rub like this tho.

[4EverGreen]

In movie theaters, I saw "Oppenheimer", and on TV, I saw the 2019 film version of "Cats", both out of some form of morbid curiosity.

[Old Man Jenkins]

Saw 3 spoops in theater since spooky season started.

Saw X: A lot better than it probably has any right being. Performances were top notch. Like, even going in with the plot already in mind, I just couldn’t help but still hope the treatment would work out for Jigsaw in the end. And on the flip side, I’m wondering just what these scammers will do to make me wanna see them get Saw’d because they were all pretty damn convincing during that first half, especially the head lady in charge. Extra eerie since scams like this do be happening to some people out there, I’d imagine. Idk having been there for the entirety of a loved one’s cancer battle makes the half hour or so of set up hit harder for me. Getting more of a look into Jigsaw and Amanda’s relationship was also a much welcomed development because the moments with them really helped anchor Saw III for me. And having Saw III still in mind, makes me wonder even more just what the hell happened to Amanda that turned her into who she would become in Saw III since her moral compass is like night and day between that movie and Saw X/Saw II. One of the top entries in the franchise and I’m really glad to see Tobin Bell and this franchise in general finally get their flowers. And further proves the point that killing Jigsaw off in Saw III was a huge ass mistake.

It Lives Inside: A nice, little horror trinket for this month. The “Everybody Loves a Clown” episode of Supernatural got me into Hindu lore at one time, so it’s welcoming to see someone take a crack with it in the horror genre. The performances (especially the two teen leads) and the creature design were great. Probably my fave creature design since Smile from last year. I recommend it for anyone looking for a bit of an alternative taste for their horror palate.

The Nun II: It’s definitely better than the first Nun, which isn’t really saying much. The setting once again lends some great horror atmosphere, yet there’s still a noticeable reliance on jump scares and that’s pretty lame. I can see why people are saying it’s just more of the same as in the first Nun, but Valak’s motivation in this definitely definitely piqued my interest for a bit. It’s the kind of thing that these side movies need and I feel a lot of the previous ones lacked. It actually gave some stakes (but knowing where Valak’s story ends up going, it’s not a whole lot) and reminded me of some Supernatural shit (in a good way), which I don’t mind seeing more of in any future installments. Feels like there’s more to come of Valak down the road, but I’m just like “retire em already”. The law of diminishing returns has hit the demon nun like a motherfucker the same way it hit Annabelle. They’ve both lost their mystique and menace. Just move on to some other thing else already. And they’re building up Irene a whole lot and I don’t know how they intend on paying it off with the way the current timeline of events are going. Ugh. The same guy who directed La Llorona and Conjuring 3 directed Nun 2 and you could tell his fingerprints were all over it. Bring in some new blood to direct these future installments too while you’re at it, eh WBD. All in all, my least favorite viewing out of these three.

[4EverGreen]

In movie theaters, I saw "Barbie" (which shouldn't have BEEN anywhere near as good as it was, but it WAS; and I saw "A Haunting In Venice".

[Old Man Jenkins]

The Regal Monday Mystery Movie was It’s A Wonderful Knife, which had like the biggest walkout of mystery moviegoers I’ve seen at one of these things so far. Like, it’s close to Halloween, what’d they expect? Killers of the Flower Moon? Anyway, I enjoyed it. A bit rough at times given that it’s a Shudder joint, but fun schlock nonetheless. The premise is definitely the most intriguing one I’ve seen of this slasher trend of combining slasher elements with some sorta non-horror movie (Happy Death Day with Groundhog Day, Freaky with Freaky Friday, Totally Killer with Back to the Future). Plus it has Justin Long in it, which is automatic big ups.

then I saw FNAF twice (premiere night by myself and last night with friends). Watching it with others definitely helps. It’s a perfectly fine movie and the fnaf heads in the crowds I was in ate it up so I was happy for them. My base knowledge of FNAF extends from 1 through Sister Location and some of Security Breach, so most of the lore established in this movie wasn’t completely lost on me. I just wish it made more of an effort to be scary, like, it’s the one movie I would WANT to see more jumpscares in. And I feel the closest it gets to replicating elements of the actual gameplay is in just one scene during the daytime involving fodder side characters. Not to mention that there was a lack of Matthew Lillard, but I won’t hold that against the movie too much. It takes an interesting route with the animatronics, to say the least. An interest that kinda fell flat for me by the end. Overall, I liked the presentation and efforts at world building, just wish there was a bit more horror substance to it.

[WhoBibbles]

Talk to Me

It left me speechless, such a good horror movie

[4EverGreen]

In movie theaters, I saw "Killers Of the Flower Moon", which DEFINITELY made good use of it's 3+hour run-time, and "Dumb Money", which I'm REALLY surprised was as good as it was! Enough said, true believers!

[Old Man Jenkins]

Another week, another round of theater visits.

”Next Goal Wins”: This was the most recent Regal Monday Mystery Movie.  Not as good as Jojo Rabbit or Ragnarok, but better than Love and Thunder. I had fun with it. I’m a sucker for anything that has that local island flava, it was filmed real close to home (I’ve been to the field they were at choke times), so I have some bias.

”The Creator”: A very nice standalone sci-fi joint from the guy whose other two movies (Godzilla 2014 and Rogue One) I’m a big fan of.

”The Marvels: It’s quite the mess, but it’s a better mess than Love and Thunder and Quantumania in my eyes.

[Old Man Jenkins]

Another week, another nickel

”Waikiki”: A nice lil local indie film, well made and acted for its budget and it handles its subject matter (homelessness/mental illness) with tact. Take notes, Tim Chey. *shudders at 20 Minutes*

”Thanksgiving”: Bloody fun holiday thrill ride. Better than It’s A Wonderful Knife in comparison. Patrick Dempsey, he’s back.

[Old Man Jenkins]

Another week, another nickel

”Wish”: I can’t even say this movie was mid. I thought Strange World was mid, and I found Strange World to be better than this mess. Wish just sucked. My only takeaways were Perrito’s voice actor having a (rather annoying) role and Disney acknowledging stuff like Treasure Planet and Dinosaur in the closing credits. Way to celebrate 100 years, guys.

and the only other thing I watched this week was Thanksgiving again just to say that I saw Thanksgiving on Thanksgiving. The new Hunger Games spinoff/prequel/whatever and Napoleon might be on the docket for this week, but those runtimes mang.

[Old Man Jenkins]

A lil late, but. Another week, another nickel

“American Fiction”: This was last week’s Regal Monday Mystery Movie. It caught me off guard in my feels tbh. The main character’s witnessed his sister die of a heart attack and then he had to take care of his ailing mother with worsening Alzheimer’s. It all kinda flashed me back to when I help took care of my grandma when her own mind was getting worse and to when my dad suffered his cardiac arrest. All that aside, I thought this was still pretty damn good and is definitely one of my favorite mystery movie nights thus far.

“Godzilla Minus One”: Hollywood, take notes and bask in the glory of the cinematic magic that can be accomplished with just a $15 million budget. This honestly may have taken the top spot as my favorite Godzilla movie yet. I’ve never been more invested in the human side of a Godzilla story. The kind of stuff that makes me actually cheer when something good happens and tear up when something horrible happens. Watched this twice, on premiere night by myself and then with some friends on Saturday, and it held up great. This movie deserves all the success and praise it gets. Godzilla fans are eating good right now.

“Silent Night”: Was pretty disappointed by this one. It took kinda forever to get to the action and when it does get going, it’s pretty fleeting imo. Villains were pretty vanilla as far as these John Wick-esque movies go. And the ending was anticlimactic asf. The main character’s personal journey to get himself to “the dance” and his gimmick in general were cool and interesting, but it’s not enough to carry the rest of the movie for me.

still might try to check out the new Hunger Games. I already decided not to bother with Napoleon since I heard less than favorable things about it and I can probably think of better ways to spend three hours. The theater I frequent is finally showing The Holdovers later this week, so I can finally see what all the hype is about. They also reissued Oppenheimer and I never did get around to that during its initial run, so hopefully I can right that wrong.

[4EverGreen]

In movie theaters, "Priscilla" (surprised they didn't use MORE Elvis songs, but it WAS her movie; so more power to her), and "Napoleon". My only complaints about that movie is that they didn't cover the Battle of Trafalgar, or how Napoleon's brother; in his attempt to seize Portugal in 1807 cost France thousands of casualties, untold sums of money, and contributed to the eventual weakening of the Napoleonic Empire. Other than that, pretty solid movie. Enough said, true believers!

[Old Man Jenkins]

Another week, another nickel.

“The Boy and the Heron”: I was having an off night when I went to watch the premiere for this on Thursday, so I couldn’t take it in fully and enjoy. Watching it again last night with a couple friends helped make the second viewing an overall better experience. ‘‘Twas good.

The Holdovers: Definitely up there as one of my top movies of the year. Definitely wanna try watch this again before it gets the unceremonious boot from theaters here this coming week.

Waitress: The Musical: A friend of mine wanted to see this and I tagged along just to get out of the house. Never watched a stage musical on the big screen before, but this was a good first experience. Enjoyed more than I thought I would. Makes me wanna watch the original movie it’s based on.

and I rewatched Godzilla Minus One again last Sunday to support the G-Man and Next Goal Wins again on Friday because it was the only decent comedy available to make me forget about shit for a while that night.

[4EverGreen]

Another week, another...NICKEL!!!! I ALWAYS wanted to say that!...ANYWAYS, on Friday, I saw the prequel movie "Wonka", and I think I can safely say...Warner Bros. is FINALLY getting the message and idea on how to NOT suck so much! The movie was GOOD, it was REALLY good! Not only that, I felt that it was good AS "Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory"! (Now if only we could make it so the "Tom And Jerry" version of it DOESN'T exist...that would be great!) There was some nice-call forwards to that movie (I won't tell you WHAT they are, you'll have to see it for yourself!) And with the exception of two songs (and even THOSE two songs used mostly NEW lyrics), every single song in this movie is a brand new song! Everyone did a good acting job in this movie, and I REALLY hope this movie wins an Oscar or two, if ONLY to make up for the fact that "Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory" didn't win any! Enough said, true believers!

[Old Man Jenkins]

Another week, another nickel.

Oppenheimer: Finally got to watch this after missing out during its summer run, thanks to a reissue. It was pretty great. The three hours went by fast, so it definitely had me invested the whole time.

Wonka: I thought was aight. Good, but nothing too spectacular imho. Idk, it’d probably hit more for me if it hinted or leaned in to how Wonka would become the more cynical, sorta crazed man he would go on to be later in life. Because everything wraps up nice and well for him here. He builds his factory, helps an orphan girl, and most of all has a seemingly loyal crew to help him going forward. It’s hard for me to see this young Wonka becoming THAT Wonka lol. Music was good tho and I thought Timothee did pretty well with what he was given.

[4EverGreen]

In movie theaters, I saw the live-action movie "Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom" with my girlfriend! I personally thought it was a VAST improvement over the live-action movie of "The Flash!" Jason Momoa, Dolph Lundgren, and all the other actors were solid in this VERY great story! I could have lived WITHOUT a couple of unnecessary gross scenes, and its a SHAME that this is the final OFFICIAL movie entry in the DCEU. Oh, well. Guess we'll have to see what happens when the DC launches their new movie universe, which they're just calling the DCU! I'd give this movie a 95/100! (Like I said, it lost a couple of points due to the gross scenes). Enough said, true believers!

[4EverGreen]

Another week, another...NICKEL!!!! That joke NEVER gets old! Anyways, I saw two movies since I last talked on here. At my local movie theater, they were showing "Citizen Kane" for one night only (long story I won't bother you with), and since I knew what the twist WAS before going to see the movie (there IS a reason there is a trope called "It Was His Sled"), for me, the movie was both more of a "Protagonist's Journey To Villain", and a "How We Got Here" movie more than anything else. And while I will admit that there were a lot of clever movie editing tricks introduced in that movie, the problem is; so many other movies SINCE than have not only copied those tricks, they have now since done them better! Still, I will say "Citizen Kane" is better than "Gone With The Wind", but not as good as "Casablanca" or "The Wizard Of Oz"; "Citizen Kane" gets a 98/100 from me. The other movie I saw was the English dub of "The Boy And The Heron". Very great English dub work by the American actors, BEAUTIFUL animation (as can be expected from Hayao Miyazaki), good music, and a VERY good story...even though there were a couple of scenes and details I felt the movie COULD have lived without, which caused the movie to lose a few points. But still, it's one of the best Anime films that I have seen in years!...Admittedly, I don't think the amount of Anime Films I've seen is quite that large yet, it's still pretty good! I'd give "The Boy And The Heron" a 95/100. Enough said, true believers!