Films - Watched and Thoughts 2022

[Angel P]

JANUARY - 32 films watched

1. The Prestige (2006) [UHD] 4.5/5*
2. The Karate Kid (1984) [UHD] 4.5/5*
3. Shoot To Kill (1988) [DVD] 3/5*
4. 2012 (2009) [BD] 2/5*
5. The Towering Inferno (1974) [BD] 4.5/5*
6. The Poseidon Adventure (1972) [BD] 4/5*
7. Juice (1992) [UHD] 3.5/5*
8. The Karate Kid Part II (1986) [UHD] 3.5/5*
9. Love and Monsters (2020) [UHD] 3.5/5*
10. Alien (1979) [UHD] 4/5*
11. Aliens (1986) [BD] 5/5*
12. Insomnia (2002) [BD] 3.5/5*
13. Demolition Man (1993) [BD] 3/5*
14. Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990) [BD] 3/5
15. The Road (2009) [BD] 4/5*
16. Scrooged (1988) [BD] 2.5/5*
17. Predator (1987) [UHD] 4.5/5*
18. On The Waterfront (1954) [BD] 2.5/5*
19. National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) [BD] 3.5/5*
20. The Gentlemen (2019) [UHD] 4.5/5*
21. The Terminator (1984) [BD] 4/5*
22. Anna (2019) [UHD] 4.5/5*
23. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) [BD] 4.5/5*
24. The Call of the Wild (2020) [UHD] 2.5/5*
25. Moon (2009) [BD] 4/5*
26. Cold Pursuit (2019) [UHD] 3/5*
27. Anna (2019) [UHD] 4.5/5*
28. Hot Fuzz (2007) [BD] 4/5*
29. Midway (2019) [UHD] 3.5/5*
30. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) [UHD] 5/5*
31. Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) [BD] 3.5/5*
32. Dead Space: Downfall (2008) [BD] 1/5*

FEBRUARY - 23 films watched

1. The Karate Kid Part III (1989) [UHD] 2.5/5*
2. Groundhog Day (1993) [UHD] 5/5*
3. Furie (2019) [BD] 2/5*
4. Cliffhanger (1993) [UHD] 3/5*
5. Last Night in Soho (2021) [UHD] 4.5/5*
6. The 355 (2022) [AMC] 2.5/5*
7. Tango & Cash (1989) [BD] 1/5*
8. Platoon (1986) [BD] 4/5*
9. The Great Escape (1963) [BD] 2.5/5*
10. Rocky (1976) [BD] 5/5*
11. Red Heat (1988) [UHD] 3.5/5*
12. Lone Survivor (2013) [UHD] 4.5/5*
13. Black Dynamite (2009) [BD] 4/5*
14. Rear Window (1954) [UHD] 4/5*
15. Rapid Fire (1992) [BD] 3.5/5*
16. Body Snatchers (1993) [BD] 3/5*
17. Moonfall (2022) [AMC] 1/5*
18. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) [BD] .5/5*
19. United 93 (2006) [BD] 4.5/5*
20. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) [Vudu] 2/5*
21. Uncharted (2022) [AMC] 1.5/5*
22. Rocky II (1979) [BD] 5/5*
23. Hereditary (2018) [UHD] 4.5/5*

MARCH - 23 films watched

1. Stand By Me (1986) [UHD] 4.5/5*
2. Last Night in Soho (2021) [UHD] 4.5/5*
3. The Batman (2022) [Alamo] 4.5/5
4. The Batman (2022) [AMC] 4.5/5*
5. The Batman (2022) (AMC) 4.5/5*
6. Rocky III (1982) [BD] 4/5*
7. Tremors (1990) [UHD] 3.5/5*
8. The Last Stand (2013) [BD] 3/5*
9. Deadly Friend (1986) [BD] 3.5/5*
10. Saving Private Ryan (1998) [UHD] 5/5*
11. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) [UHD] 5/5*
12. The 6th Day (2000) [BD] 1.5/5*
13. Kindergarten Cop (1990) [BD] 4.5/5*
14. The Killing Time (1987) [BD] 2/5*
15. The Social Network (2010) [BD] 4.5/5*
16. Unforgiven (1992) [UHD] 3.5/5*
17. Office Space (1999) [BD] 3.5/5*
18. L.A. Confidential (1997) [BD] 3.5/5*
19. Rocky IV (1985) [BD] 3/5*
20. Possessor (2020) [UHD] 4/5*
21. Se7en (1995) [BD] 4.5/5*
22. The Greatest Showman (2017) [UHD] 5/5*
23. Field of Dreams (1989) [UHD] 5/5*

APRIL - 14 films watched

1. Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995) [BD] 4.5/5*
2. The Batman (2022) [Alamo] 4.5/5*
3. Dirty Dancing (1987) [iTunes 4K] 3.5/5*
4. Rocky V (1990) [BD] 2/5*
5. After Yang (2021) [Amazon Prime ] 3.5/5*
6. Scream 2 (1997) [BD] 3/5*
7. Kimi (2022) [HBOMAX] 3.5/5*
8. Rocky Balboa (2006) [BD] 4/5*
9. The Natural (1984) [UHD] 4.5/5*'
10. Metropolis (1927) [DVD] 1/5*
11. Some Like It Hot (1959) [UHD] 2.5/5*
12. Aliens (1996) [BD] 5/5*
13. Prince of Darkness (1987) [UHD] 4/5*
14. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) [Alamo] 3/5*

MAY - 23 films watched

1. Creed (2015) [UHD] 4/5*
2. Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) [BD] 5/5*
3. Lone Wolf McQuade (1983) [BD] 3/5*
4. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) [Alamo] 3.5/5*
5. Fighting With My Family (2019) [BD] 4/5*
6. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) [Alamo] 3.5/5*
7. Forgotten (2017) [Netflix] 4/5*
8. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) [Alamo] 3.5/5*
9. Turning Red (2022) [UHD] 4/5*
10. Little Big League (1994) [BD] 4/5*
11. Shattered (1991) [BD] 3.5/5*
12. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) [UHD] 5/5*
13. The Batman (2022) [HBOMAX] 4.5/5*
14. Nightmare Alley (2021) [HBOMAX] 3/5*
15. U-571 (2000) [BD] 3/5*
16. Creed II (2018) [UHD] 3.5/5*
17. Injustice (2021) [HBOMAX] 1.5/5*
18. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) [Alamo] 4/5*
19. Speed (1994) [UHD] 4.5/5*
20. Top Gun (1986) [UHD] 4/5*
21. Top Gun: Maverick (2022) [Alamo] 4.5/5*
22. Top Gun (1986) [UHD] 4/5*
23. Val (2021) [Amazon Prime] 3.5/5*

JUNE - 0 films watched

 

[kelley]

Ghostbusters Afterlife - Excellent.  Really, really excellent. 

[JoeyN]

The Last Duel was very well done. Great cast, enjoyed the three different point of view format, but the entire thing is centered around a tough subject manner. Maybe that’s why the film had a tough time at the box office Ridley Scott. This isn’t Gladiator.

[Angry the Clown]

5 hours ago, JoeyN said:

The Last Duel was very well done. Great cast, enjoyed the three different point of view format, but the entire thing is centered around a tough subject manner. Maybe that’s why the film had a tough time at the box office Ridley Scott. This isn’t Gladiator.

 

It's on Disney+ over here and I caught it before Christmas and also thought it was very good. It may perhaps falter with pacing here and there, but the performances are consistently strong. Beautifully shot too. What I found amazing though, particularly given the scale of the film, was that it was shot during the pandemic. It's surreal looking at behind the scenes images and video and seeing people masked up, but if any director can expertly command a production through such challenges it's Scott (and of course he went and made two films back to back during all this chaos).

[dogbert]

Blood and Black Lace - old 60s Italian horror by Mario Brava that somehow I've never heard of/seen before. Wow. Total stunner of a horror movie, with a gorgeous look to the sets + spectacle, themed around a fashion studio + modelling. Really enjoyed this. 

 

Rope - the classic stagey Hitchcock film with James Stewart, still as stagey and as good as ever. Good to see this again after a long, long break. 

 

Dawn of the Dead (1978 version) - was playing a zombie boardgame + felt like this was a good mood setter in the background. Definitely one of the classic zombie flicks by Romero, hugely influential, and still campy & as cheap looking as ever. See comment on Rope - been ages since I watched this, thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Angel P]

6 hours ago, dogbert said:

Blood and Black Lace - old 60s Italian horror by Mario Brava that somehow I've never heard of/seen before. Wow. Total stunner of a horror movie, with a gorgeous look to the sets + spectacle, themed around a fashion studio + modelling. Really enjoyed this. 

How did you see this?

[dogbert]

17 minutes ago, Angel P said:

How did you see this?

 

Criterion Channel

[Angel P]

Thanks.

[Dimness]

Encanto - I'm just not enamored with this one like a lot of people. I thought it was meh.

 

Apple Dumpling Gang - I was expecting more Tim Conway and Don Knotts.

 

Jingle All The Way - This wasn't that bad to be honest, and I liked Sinbad.

[Angel P]

2 hours ago, Dimness said:

Encanto - I'm just not enamored with this one like a lot of people. I thought it was meh.

I felt the same.  I loved Raya and Luca but this one just didn't do it for me.  

[Magness]

Matrix Resurrections  - Thought this was good, interesting, different, weird and lots of other things. I think I already need a rewatch to help solidify my different feelings about this but overall I liked it. I wasn’t thrilled with the main villain as I didn’t think they were a threat but the other villain/character was great. 

[Romier S]

18 minutes ago, Magness said:

Matrix Resurrections  - Thought this was good, interesting, different, weird and lots of other things. I think I already need a rewatch to help solidify my different feelings about this but overall I liked it. I wasn’t thrilled with the main villain as I didn’t think they were a threat but the other villain/character was great. 

We’re in lonely company my friend.

[Angry the Clown]

The Tragedy of Macbeth - Remarkably good. Wonderful performances, and every frame, infused with the influence of German expressionism, is breathtaking. It's a stark throwback to cinema techniques of old, and the extraordinary set design and art direction is a wonderful reminder of the largely forgotten value of fabricating every last physical detail on screen to serve a story. It's by far my favourite performance and depiction of the witches in any screen adaptation too (Kathryn Hunter is amazing).

 

[Dimness]

Oliver & Company - I haven't seen this since it released in theaters, and I wanted to give it a go. Was trying to figure out why this never became a Disney classic. Now I know why.

[dogbert]

Kimi - An  acquaintance mentioned this in passing as a sort of modern update of Rear Window, Blow Up & Home Alone with a healthy dose of Covid... And he was right. I hadn't heard of it until then. Steven Soderbergh. HBO Max. Zoe Kravitz is excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed this - 90 minutes, little padding, some twists + turns. Worth a watch. 

[foogledricks]

8 hours ago, dogbert said:

with a healthy dose of Covid...

I see what you did there…

[dogbert]

Hellbender - I thoroughly enjoyed this. Put it on in the background while I made dinner, but it completely pulled me in. Very small budget "folk horror" from a family that likes to make horror movies. It uses its low budget extremely well. Extremely well directed, paced, written, acted. Teenage girl, stuck in the woods with her mother, finds small quiet ways to rebel, ultimately discovering the witchy-ness of her family. It's a small, low key film with a plot it tells well. On Shudder/AMC+ - I got told their other film is worth watching, so it's on the playlist.

 

The New Daughter - 2000 something Kevin Costner led film that I'd never heard of, but my girlfriend loves. It's a weird Kevin Costner ghost/horror/folk tales movie where his daughter ends up possessed by something in their new home... Mainstream movie production values, but a definitely oddball plot + characterization around becoming a teenager. I enjoyed this a bunch more than I expected. 

[dogbert]

Death on the Nile (2022) - Branagh's next Poirot film is definitely a little formulaic, not bringing much new to the table outside of an attempt to give him a backstory, but still thoroughly over the top in its portrayal of glamour/excess + enjoyable. Completely inessential in the grand scheme of things, but I enjoyed it. 

 

No Exit - Hulu exclusive that's tight in its focus + storytelling, focusing on a woman stuck in a near deserted park visitor centre because of a snowstorm, who finds something troubling in a parked van + needs to figure out who is responsible. This put my daughter's stomach in knots, which was awesome Thoroughly enjoyed this. It's short, sharp, and has some nice twists. 

 

The Adam Project - you've seen it all before, definitely formulaic, but it plays up its central idea of Adam as a kid vs Adam as a grownup super soldier really well with lots of funny moments + lines. Not "the new ET" or "The new Back to the Future" but fun. 

[Romier S]

I watched the trailer for “No Exit” and wanted to check it out. Glad to hear it’s pretty good.

[kelley]

Windfall - really good usage of the rear channels and music to drive tension. Guessed the ending pretty quickly but still it was enjoyable. 

[dogbert]

Various stressors meant movie watching was low key this weekend. 

 

Sign o' the Times - Wow. It's been decades since I watched any of this concert/concept piece from Prince.... Wow. When it gels around the right songs, it's an amazing capture of a performer + his supporting artists. There's a few songs that don't work for me, but the big hits + numbers? So good. Even Sheena Easton, the wee girl from Bellshill, works well.

 

Jimi Plays Monterey - small, tightly focused performance capture by D.A.Pennebaker that's amazing. Yes, this is the one where he sets his guitar on fire. Great set of covers + performance by an artist at his prime. 

 

The Witch of Kings Cross - documentary about an Australian artist (that I hadn't heard of) whose work was filled with sexuality, spirituality, occult, in the 40s + 50s, and who was eventually charged with sodomy because she so didn't fit in to the times. Her art's incredible, she clearly lived a life of passion, and her story was interesting to follow. This is a far from essential or revolutionary doc, but it kept my attention. 

[JoeyN]

It finally happened, I walked out of a movie. Mobius is bad beyond words.

[dienekes96]

Everything Everywhere All At Once

 

Script, direction, performances…all pulling in the same direction.  I liked it okay until the last twenty minutes, and then I sort of fell in love with it.  Highly recommended for the more adventurous.

[dogbert]

10 hours ago, dienekes96 said:

Everything Everywhere All At Once

 

Script, direction, performances…all pulling in the same direction.  I liked it okay until the last twenty minutes, and then I sort of fell in love with it.  Highly recommended for the more adventurous.

 

Looking forward to it getting a wider release hopefully - only at one Alamo right now and consistently selling out.

[Romier S]

11 hours ago, dienekes96 said:

Everything Everywhere All At Once

 

Script, direction, performances…all pulling in the same direction.  I liked it okay until the last twenty minutes, and then I sort of fell in love with it.  Highly recommended for the more adventurous.

Very much looking forward to it!