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Fablemans is pretty underwhelming yeah.
Movies Rate and Discuss the Last Movie You Saw v.16
- Thread starter Dragonlordxxxxx
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Fablemans is pretty underwhelming yeah.
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Ms. 45 (USA, 1981)
American revenge film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Zoe Tamerlis.
Thana (Tamerlis) is a mute seamstress working in the NYC Garment District. After being raped twice in the same day, Thana takes revenge by becoming a spree killer targeting men.
The early 1980's NYC depicted in this film is dirty, violent, and chaotic. Leering, sexually aggressive men are everywhere.
Thana's muteness blocks us from knowing much about her inner life. Her transformation is told via her appearance (from mousy assistant to femme fatale) and actions. It is not subtle.
This is a true cult film because it is filled with flaws juxtaposed with an hypnotic intensity. Tamerlis, only 17 when this movie was filmed, looks overmatched in some scenes and exceptional in others. The direction is all over the place; sometimes amateurish and sometimes quite clever.
The film peaks in every conceivable way during the extended Halloween party. We are treated to Thana dressed as a fetishized nun kissing bullets before loading her revolver (cinema!). The party itself is crazy. The band is weird. The dancing is odd. The camera keeps coming back over and over again to shots of somebody dressed as Mr. Met (cinema!). I loved it!
The absolute worst part of the film is Thana's nosey older female neighbour (and perhaps landlady?). I think that she is supposed to be comic relief but the character is not funny. It is just terrible.
I remain completely unsure whether this film has something interesting to say or if Ferrara was just making up stuff scene from scene. Regardless, the film is not necessarily good but it is definitely interesting and that means something.
Rating: 6/10
American revenge film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Zoe Tamerlis.
Thana (Tamerlis) is a mute seamstress working in the NYC Garment District. After being raped twice in the same day, Thana takes revenge by becoming a spree killer targeting men.
The early 1980's NYC depicted in this film is dirty, violent, and chaotic. Leering, sexually aggressive men are everywhere.
Thana's muteness blocks us from knowing much about her inner life. Her transformation is told via her appearance (from mousy assistant to femme fatale) and actions. It is not subtle.
This is a true cult film because it is filled with flaws juxtaposed with an hypnotic intensity. Tamerlis, only 17 when this movie was filmed, looks overmatched in some scenes and exceptional in others. The direction is all over the place; sometimes amateurish and sometimes quite clever.
The film peaks in every conceivable way during the extended Halloween party. We are treated to Thana dressed as a fetishized nun kissing bullets before loading her revolver (cinema!). The party itself is crazy. The band is weird. The dancing is odd. The camera keeps coming back over and over again to shots of somebody dressed as Mr. Met (cinema!). I loved it!
The absolute worst part of the film is Thana's nosey older female neighbour (and perhaps landlady?). I think that she is supposed to be comic relief but the character is not funny. It is just terrible.
I remain completely unsure whether this film has something interesting to say or if Ferrara was just making up stuff scene from scene. Regardless, the film is not necessarily good but it is definitely interesting and that means something.
Rating: 6/10
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This is kind of cool, ten sixty-second horror shorts featuring some good people. I found it looking through Jake Gyllenhaal's iMDB.
Great Performers: Horror Show (on iMDB)
Playlist:
Great Performers: Horror Show (on iMDB)
Playlist:
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I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Scream really did usher in a lot of these particular horror movies in the late 90s and early 2000s. I was a kid/teenager at the time, so the genre was very popular among my age bracket, but it was pretty clear, then, that some of the entries from this wave of slasher films were far better than others. This film, actually, is not awful as far as those movies go. I always thought it was a credit to Williamson that he didn't try to mimic the hip dialogue and self-referential humor of Scream in the film that most immediately followed it. Turns out, though, that he wrote this screenplay years before Scream and it only got greenlit, seemingly, because of Scream's success.
As it stands, I Know What You Did Last Summer is a bit of a paint-by-numbers slasher movie with almost no levity at all. It's a mixed bag, really. On the one hand, I think that the stars actually give good performances despite the lack of characterization. Hewitt and Gellar do a solid job of infusing their characters with the trauma of dealing with the aftermath of their actions and the way it seems to have truncated their future ambitions. Phillippe very convincingly plays a p.o.s. and Prinze does the sort of decent dude/bland likability thing well enough.
There's also a good chunk of the film that functions more as a suspsense/thriller film rather than a straight up slasher horror. I like those stretches of the film better because the more standard genre sequences just feel bogged down by the overplayed conventions of that subgenre of horror.
Actually, I think there's a decent little mystery plotline in there as Hewitt and Gellar try to piece together the identity of the person who knows their crime and is threatening them. The scenes with Anne Heche, in particular, add a layer to the plot and keep things interesting. Heche herself actually does so well with the role that you almost don't notice how her scenes are so focused on exposition that they defy logic- why would she divulge so much information to these people she has no connection to and is just meeting for the first time??
But logic is not in the wheelhouse of these types of films. There are plenty of ludicrous elements to this movie but I think it's pretty entertaining. I do find that there are some narrative contrivances that hurt it. For instance, the filmmakers make certain choices so that Prinze Jr. can be the red herring. The three other main stars all have scenes where they face serious menace and intimidation that is shown onscreen. Prinze doesn't. Given the resolution of the film, it really makes no sense that he was, effectively, left alone, while the others were seriously antagonized. It only happens because the script needs it to happen to manipulate perceptions.
5.8/10
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Absolute classic comedy. Gene Wilder was firing on all cylinders in this film. Given all the hilarious comedic performances around him, the film could have easily made him into more of the straight man but, instead, he outright has many of my favorite hilarious moments in the film. I love, for instance, the scene where he's giving the lecture and becomes increasingly irritated and then unhinged when the student keeps pressing him about his grandfather’s work. Another moment of his that cracks me up is when Boyle gets perturbed by the spark during their performance of Puttin' on the Ritz and Frankenstein tries to casually dismiss it and coax The Monster back into the song and dance..."A five, six, seven, eight!" (starts manically doing a tap dance by himself and with no musical accompaniment).
Credit to Brooks and co. for assembling just a terrific cast overall. Wilder, Feldman, Garr, Kahn, Boyle, Leachman and scene-stealing Kenneth Mars are all hilarious in it. Hackman's cameo is priceless. Brooks and his team also do a great job of visually re-creating the vibe of James Whale's classic Karloff film. One of the best parody films ever in my view.
8.2/10
Scream really did usher in a lot of these particular horror movies in the late 90s and early 2000s. I was a kid/teenager at the time, so the genre was very popular among my age bracket, but it was pretty clear, then, that some of the entries from this wave of slasher films were far better than others. This film, actually, is not awful as far as those movies go. I always thought it was a credit to Williamson that he didn't try to mimic the hip dialogue and self-referential humor of Scream in the film that most immediately followed it. Turns out, though, that he wrote this screenplay years before Scream and it only got greenlit, seemingly, because of Scream's success.
As it stands, I Know What You Did Last Summer is a bit of a paint-by-numbers slasher movie with almost no levity at all. It's a mixed bag, really. On the one hand, I think that the stars actually give good performances despite the lack of characterization. Hewitt and Gellar do a solid job of infusing their characters with the trauma of dealing with the aftermath of their actions and the way it seems to have truncated their future ambitions. Phillippe very convincingly plays a p.o.s. and Prinze does the sort of decent dude/bland likability thing well enough.
There's also a good chunk of the film that functions more as a suspsense/thriller film rather than a straight up slasher horror. I like those stretches of the film better because the more standard genre sequences just feel bogged down by the overplayed conventions of that subgenre of horror.
Actually, I think there's a decent little mystery plotline in there as Hewitt and Gellar try to piece together the identity of the person who knows their crime and is threatening them. The scenes with Anne Heche, in particular, add a layer to the plot and keep things interesting. Heche herself actually does so well with the role that you almost don't notice how her scenes are so focused on exposition that they defy logic- why would she divulge so much information to these people she has no connection to and is just meeting for the first time??
But logic is not in the wheelhouse of these types of films. There are plenty of ludicrous elements to this movie but I think it's pretty entertaining. I do find that there are some narrative contrivances that hurt it. For instance, the filmmakers make certain choices so that Prinze Jr. can be the red herring. The three other main stars all have scenes where they face serious menace and intimidation that is shown onscreen. Prinze doesn't. Given the resolution of the film, it really makes no sense that he was, effectively, left alone, while the others were seriously antagonized. It only happens because the script needs it to happen to manipulate perceptions.
5.8/10
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Absolute classic comedy. Gene Wilder was firing on all cylinders in this film. Given all the hilarious comedic performances around him, the film could have easily made him into more of the straight man but, instead, he outright has many of my favorite hilarious moments in the film. I love, for instance, the scene where he's giving the lecture and becomes increasingly irritated and then unhinged when the student keeps pressing him about his grandfather’s work. Another moment of his that cracks me up is when Boyle gets perturbed by the spark during their performance of Puttin' on the Ritz and Frankenstein tries to casually dismiss it and coax The Monster back into the song and dance..."A five, six, seven, eight!" (starts manically doing a tap dance by himself and with no musical accompaniment).
Credit to Brooks and co. for assembling just a terrific cast overall. Wilder, Feldman, Garr, Kahn, Boyle, Leachman and scene-stealing Kenneth Mars are all hilarious in it. Hackman's cameo is priceless. Brooks and his team also do a great job of visually re-creating the vibe of James Whale's classic Karloff film. One of the best parody films ever in my view.
8.2/10
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The Darjeeling Limited (USA, 2007)
Wes Anderson comedy-drama starring Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and Adrien Brody.
Francis (Wilson), Peter (Brody) and Jack (Schwartzman) are three brothers who have become estranged since the death of their father the previous year. Francis has organized a trip by train across India as a way for the brothers to reconnect. Unbeknownst to the other brothers, Francis also plans to meet up with their mother, who has become a Christian nun at a Himalayan monastery. She did not attend her husband's funeral and we are led to believe that the bothers have not seen her in years.
This is a Wes Anderson film and so we are treated to stylized designs and quirky characters. Anderson returns to some of his favourites themes; dysfunctional people with dysfunctional families stuck in dysfunctional relationships. As is usual with Anderson, there is a pervasive feeling of melancholy permeating all of the characters.
It is definitely has the Anderson visual sensibilities, although it is less stylized than most of his work (the train is definitely pretty great, though). It moves along well enough and there are lots of moments of sly humour and general quirkiness. There are also moments of real emotion. The characters change and grow over the course of the film. I found it a rewarding journey.
This is one of Anderson's second tier films but it is a solid watch if you are a fan of his work.
Rating: 6.5/10
Wes Anderson comedy-drama starring Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, and Adrien Brody.
Francis (Wilson), Peter (Brody) and Jack (Schwartzman) are three brothers who have become estranged since the death of their father the previous year. Francis has organized a trip by train across India as a way for the brothers to reconnect. Unbeknownst to the other brothers, Francis also plans to meet up with their mother, who has become a Christian nun at a Himalayan monastery. She did not attend her husband's funeral and we are led to believe that the bothers have not seen her in years.
This is a Wes Anderson film and so we are treated to stylized designs and quirky characters. Anderson returns to some of his favourites themes; dysfunctional people with dysfunctional families stuck in dysfunctional relationships. As is usual with Anderson, there is a pervasive feeling of melancholy permeating all of the characters.
It is definitely has the Anderson visual sensibilities, although it is less stylized than most of his work (the train is definitely pretty great, though). It moves along well enough and there are lots of moments of sly humour and general quirkiness. There are also moments of real emotion. The characters change and grow over the course of the film. I found it a rewarding journey.
This is one of Anderson's second tier films but it is a solid watch if you are a fan of his work.
Rating: 6.5/10
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You’ll Never Find Me - 7.5/10
Another very solid Shudder Original, if you are a horror fan and don’t have a subscription to Shudder I definitely recommend checking it out. This was a great slow burn psychological/horror with excellent acting and so much tension that builds throughout. Wild fucking ending too that is super well done.
Another very solid Shudder Original, if you are a horror fan and don’t have a subscription to Shudder I definitely recommend checking it out. This was a great slow burn psychological/horror with excellent acting and so much tension that builds throughout. Wild fucking ending too that is super well done.
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The most annoying thing in this film was the Conor swagger.
If he takes as much as one step you get the impression he has an umbrella up his butt.
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Watching Road House (2024).
Why does this take place in Florida? Don't they know there is a Castle Doctrine there? The movie should have been over in twenty minutes.
- Guy breaks into your house with a gun
- Guys approach your bookstore with gasoline cans and crowbars.
Update: HERE is the Zillow listing for the properties "just next to mile marker 77". I think the bar owner, who inherited the property, should sell.
Why does this take place in Florida? Don't they know there is a Castle Doctrine there? The movie should have been over in twenty minutes.
- Guy breaks into your house with a gun
- Guys approach your bookstore with gasoline cans and crowbars.
Update: HERE is the Zillow listing for the properties "just next to mile marker 77". I think the bar owner, who inherited the property, should sell.
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CABRINI (2024)
Holy fucking powerhouse. I was really blown away by this one, & was not expecting to be. Fantastic performance from the lead actress Cristiana Dell'anna, whom I recognized from the amazing Italian TV series GOMORRA. ( Shoutout to @Loiosh )
This was very well directed, acted, written, paced, everything, & tells a powerful true story I knew very little about beforehand. The production quality & music were both excellent as well. I was really wrapped up in this one, sat in the theater the entire time & didn't check my phone once. Checked my soul a few times though. Highly recommend.
Holy fucking powerhouse. I was really blown away by this one, & was not expecting to be. Fantastic performance from the lead actress Cristiana Dell'anna, whom I recognized from the amazing Italian TV series GOMORRA. ( Shoutout to @Loiosh )
This was very well directed, acted, written, paced, everything, & tells a powerful true story I knew very little about beforehand. The production quality & music were both excellent as well. I was really wrapped up in this one, sat in the theater the entire time & didn't check my phone once. Checked my soul a few times though. Highly recommend.
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Just watched Road House
Jake G is always solid and I thought he was a good casting choice
Just a good cheesy action movie that delivers with some cool set pieces
Connor is a bad actor but he can pull off the over the top cartoon villain.
Glad they made the movie rated R allowed for more violence.
Overall the movie did the original justice while also being different enough to have it's own identity
Solid 7/10 just turn your brain off and enjoy
Jake G is always solid and I thought he was a good casting choice
Just a good cheesy action movie that delivers with some cool set pieces
Connor is a bad actor but he can pull off the over the top cartoon villain.
Glad they made the movie rated R allowed for more violence.
Overall the movie did the original justice while also being different enough to have it's own identity
Solid 7/10 just turn your brain off and enjoy
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Second In Command (2006)
Commander Sam Keenan/Van Damme has just checked in at the U.S. Embassy in Moldavia. When enemy insurgents attack, Keenan/Van Damme must quickly lead the Marines in defending the Embassy and its staff. I liked a specific fight outside the security wall when the insurgent removes the gas mask of Keenan/Van Damme, it showed how a disoriented person can still win in a fight. It's a fun movie
Commander Sam Keenan/Van Damme has just checked in at the U.S. Embassy in Moldavia. When enemy insurgents attack, Keenan/Van Damme must quickly lead the Marines in defending the Embassy and its staff. I liked a specific fight outside the security wall when the insurgent removes the gas mask of Keenan/Van Damme, it showed how a disoriented person can still win in a fight. It's a fun movie
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Late night with the devil - 8/10.
Was a decent horror movie, kind of felt tongue in cheek at times. The main actor, can't remember his name, was great. Special effects were so-so.
Was a decent horror movie, kind of felt tongue in cheek at times. The main actor, can't remember his name, was great. Special effects were so-so.
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I’m looking forward to it. I like movies that recreate that 70s/80s tv show vibe. I thought Todd Phillips and co. did a great job of that with the big Phoenix/DeNiro sequence on the late night show at the end of Joker.
I tend to forget that actor’s name too but only because it’s a long one. Dave Dastmalchian I think. He’s one of those guys who is a consistently great supporting/character actor. Nice to see him get a lead role in a well-reviewed movie. Hopefully it opens some more doors.
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I do feel that film was a bit of a scene Wes Anderson's early style was becoming a bit played out, that is films which were focused on the lives of kooky boheniam west coasters. I think Moonrise Kingdom represented quite a big shift for him. the films become more larger than life BUT the characters are also natutrally part of that not fish out of water modern day west coasters.
I think that ends up giving the films both more character but also more effective drama which there more concerned with more universal themes(espeically loss) and less the specific lives of upper class west coasters, notable that the following films have relatively few "daddy issues" stuff in them as well.
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Bodies Bodies Bodies 6.5/10
Horror/black comedy starring Gen Z woke cast of early 20 somethings that are rich and entitled attending a Party at a mansion owned by one of their friends played by Pete Davidson. I was about to turn it off for being so over the top woke until I realized that the movie was satirizing the culture---All the characters are extremely unlikeable using words like "Toxic", "triggered"', "ableist", when you realize this just shows how brainwashed today's youth are. They are all addicted to their devices, and it is like they can't breathe when they lose reception. After playing a game where you have to guess the murderer, people start actually dying. You see the lack of coping and decision-making skills the moment these entitles brats are faced with any adversity. The movie was done surprising well, the only issue being the cast is so unlikeable, there really is no one to root for. You want them all to die.
Horror/black comedy starring Gen Z woke cast of early 20 somethings that are rich and entitled attending a Party at a mansion owned by one of their friends played by Pete Davidson. I was about to turn it off for being so over the top woke until I realized that the movie was satirizing the culture---All the characters are extremely unlikeable using words like "Toxic", "triggered"', "ableist", when you realize this just shows how brainwashed today's youth are. They are all addicted to their devices, and it is like they can't breathe when they lose reception. After playing a game where you have to guess the murderer, people start actually dying. You see the lack of coping and decision-making skills the moment these entitles brats are faced with any adversity. The movie was done surprising well, the only issue being the cast is so unlikeable, there really is no one to root for. You want them all to die.
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The One-Armed Swordsman (Hong Kong, 1967)
Martial arts film produced by the Shaw Brothers and directed by Chang Cheh. Jimmy Wang stars as the aforementioned one armed fighter.
Fang Kang (Wang) trains under master Qi Ru Feng at the Golden Sword school. Kang's father died saving Feng and so Feng has raised and trained the orphaned boy. Now a young man, Kang is a good student but is looked down upon by the other students because of his poor background.
It is not a spoiler to say that the dude is going to lose an arm at some point. Kang must not only learn to fight left handed but he must choose whether or not he will risk his own life to protect Feng and his disciples from a mortal enemy who has developed a technique to defeat the Golden Sword style.
This felt like a kung fu western. Kang is continually forced to choose between a quiet life with a woman who loves him vs. risking his life fighting. Martial arts is a central part of his self worth but Fang is also drawn to protect the weak and to demonstrate loyalty to those who helped him in the past. The central question in the film is whether a man like Kang can truly turn his back on violence and live a simple, contented life.
There is a great scene where Kang disguises himself with a mask. As you may guess, the fact that he is the only one armed man in the area prevents the ruse from succeeding.
Rating: I am waiting for the tie in to Twin Peaks before giving a final rating.
Martial arts film produced by the Shaw Brothers and directed by Chang Cheh. Jimmy Wang stars as the aforementioned one armed fighter.
Fang Kang (Wang) trains under master Qi Ru Feng at the Golden Sword school. Kang's father died saving Feng and so Feng has raised and trained the orphaned boy. Now a young man, Kang is a good student but is looked down upon by the other students because of his poor background.
It is not a spoiler to say that the dude is going to lose an arm at some point. Kang must not only learn to fight left handed but he must choose whether or not he will risk his own life to protect Feng and his disciples from a mortal enemy who has developed a technique to defeat the Golden Sword style.
This felt like a kung fu western. Kang is continually forced to choose between a quiet life with a woman who loves him vs. risking his life fighting. Martial arts is a central part of his self worth but Fang is also drawn to protect the weak and to demonstrate loyalty to those who helped him in the past. The central question in the film is whether a man like Kang can truly turn his back on violence and live a simple, contented life.
There is a great scene where Kang disguises himself with a mask. As you may guess, the fact that he is the only one armed man in the area prevents the ruse from succeeding.
Pei is Master Feng's spoiled daughter and she plays an all time bitch. Despite CUTTING OFF HIS ARM AND LEAVING HIM FOR DEAD, Pei makes several attempts to hook up with Kang and is mystified when she is rejected. Just all time stuff, really. Right to the very end the bitch thinks that he is going to marry her.
Rating: I am waiting for the tie in to Twin Peaks before giving a final rating.
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Alright official cole train korea movie rankings since iv been watching them non stop for week
Awesome
Man from nowhere (best revenge film iv seen imo)
Brotherhood of war
Very good
Train to busan
Chaser
Good
I saw the devil
Average
Parasite ( i understand why people think its great, just not my type film)
Awesome
Man from nowhere (best revenge film iv seen imo)
Brotherhood of war
Very good
Train to busan
Chaser
Good
I saw the devil
Average
Parasite ( i understand why people think its great, just not my type film)
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yessir Sexy Beast is incredible; Sir Ben Kingsley's Don Logan is unreal incredible. Cavan Kendall as Aitch is an underrated character too. he's awesome. the "CALAMARI!" dinner scene at the beginning is near perfection.
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I saw Renfield. I didn't expect it to be some sort of action movie. It's not too bad. There is almost zero chemistry between the Asian girl and the main actor. It is like a C+ movie. It helped kill time at the gym though. It's an easy watch.
