What was the last Movie you saw... Part III

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I watched Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker yesterday, and it was a good film. The final film in the trilogy of trilogies sort of wraps most things up... but that's not to suggest it will be the last we hear from the Star Wars universe! All the main characters return (although for Carrie Fisher it is with spare scenes she shot for the 2 earlier films). We also see the return of Emperor Palpatine and Lando Calrissian, and new characters played by Richard E Grant and Dominic Monaghan.

The plot evolves around finding a "key" which will unlock a secret part of the universe where the Sith have a huge battle fleet. As always the good guys go planet hopping visiting a variety of interesting places. The effects are up to the usual standard you would expect from this franchise.

It has its flaws and some of the story is plainly nonsense, but it does feel more like a Star Wars story than The Last Jedi (which I liked a lot also), but the characters work well together and the imagery is great. 8/10

[Charger]

As we just talked about this and I saw that it was on TV I thought I'd watch it again to see if my opinion had changed....It hadn't.

THE HATEFUL EIGHT


Bounty hunter John Ruth is delivering a prisoner named Daisy Domergue to a town in Wyoming to be hung for her crimes when being caught up in a blizzard and is forced to camp out in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of people he doesn't know nor can trust. And soon enough it becomes evident that one or more of them aren't quite what they say they are.

Quentin Tarantino delivers his usual mixture of oddball characters, close quarters, action, crazy dialogue and extreme violence in this western take of "who did it" mystery.

The cast is (as usual with Tarantino) brilliant. Kurt Russell with his mighty moustache shines as John Ruth, Jennifer Jason Leigh as Daisy does a great job just like Samuel L. Jackson, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth and Michael Madsen.
Jackson as a fellow bounty hunter stealing the show again as usual.

The violence is gory and at times quite unexpected. Make up mastermind Greg Nicotero does once again an amazing job with the practical effects.

The story is captivating but the cardinal sin of Tarantino comes to play here more than ever. He needlessly prolongs the scenes even by using slow motion and depcting the characters doing needless things for minutes at a time. For no other reason than to add minutes to the already lengthy movie. Sure it gives the actors more time to shine but he takes it waaaay over the top here on too many occations.

Composer extraordinaire Ennio Morricone's music is great but is sadly too under used. Instead Tarantino uses songs (which he often does) to break up the scenes, which in this case was a miss. He should have allowed Morricone to shine more.

As far as Tarantino's work goes this is a typical example of his post Jackie Brown stuff. Kind of recycling ideas and not having that "something special" anymore that he did with his earlier work. And the length of the scenes is really working against him here. Had this been cut down to lets say 100 or so minutes (instead of nearly 170!) it could have been brilliant...but as such it leaves the viewer bit exhausted and dare I say, bored even.

* * *

[Typhon]

Inept Salman comes to help his sister-in-law tend his 2 nephews while Salman's brother is off fighting in Iraq. Salman must take a humiliating job as a giant blue corporate mascot in order to help make ends meet and hold the family together.  1 or 2 laughs, but mostly a bore. 4.5/10

[Typhon]

In one of the very few Hammer films I had never seen before, a Victorian scientist tests a serum that transforms him into a sensuous murderess.  An interesting twist on the Jekyll and Hyde theme from Hammer. 8/10

[Zzzptm]

Watched Klaus on Netflix. Fun Santa origin story with some fun and original twists.

[Typhon]

Mary Stuart's attempt to overthrow her cousin Elizabeth I, Queen of England, finds her condemned to years of imprisonment before facing execution.  Well made, partly fictitious. 7.5/10

[Typhon]

Four friends fleeing a viral pandemic soon learn they must face the choice of survival versus friendship.  Some decent drama scenes. 6.5/10

[Typhon]

A spoiled Manhattan housewife re-evaluates her life after visiting a Chinatown healer.  Written by Woody Allen, but not one of his best. 6/10

[Zzzptm]

Watched The Two Popes. It's a very well done buddy film that touches on deeply human ideas of what it means to be forgiven for past mistakes and regrets. No action, but lots of meaningful dialogue.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I was dragged to see Cats this afternoon. I've not seen the stage version but I'm familiar with some of the songs. This film has been panned by the critics although the audience is a little more foregiving. It is directed by Tom Hooper (The Kings Speech / Les Miserables) and has a good cast including Judi Dench, Ian McKellan, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson and newcomer Franchesca Hayward who plays Victoria the focus of the story.

The story centres around the "Jellicles Ball" which is a yearly contest to see who gets to travel to the heavy side. I'm not entirely sure what the heavy side is, it might be passing into heaven, it might be a resurrection, it might just be a new life!

I'm not sure what the critics don't like about the film, sure it is no classic, but it is based on one of the most beloved stage musicals of all time... the songs are performed quite well, and the sets (while looking a bit stagey) are good too. The cast all have CGI fur which I think bothered some critics but didn't bug me in the slightest.

It's not that bad. 6/10

[Zzzptm]

I was dragged to see Cats this afternoon. I've not seen the stage version but I'm familiar with some of the songs. This film has been panned by the critics although the audience is a little more foregiving. It is directed by Tom Hooper (The Kings Speech / Les Miserables) and has a good cast including Judi Dench, Ian McKellan, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson and newcomer Franchesca Hayward who plays Victoria the focus of the story.

The story centres around the "Jellicles Ball" which is a yearly contest to see who gets to travel to the heavy side. I'm not entirely sure what the heavy side is, it might be passing into heaven, it might be a resurrection, it might just be a new life!

I'm not sure what the critics don't like about the film, sure it is no classic, but it is based on one of the most beloved stage musicals of all time... the songs are performed quite well, and the sets (while looking a bit stagey) are good too. The cast all have CGI fur which I think bothered some critics but didn't bug me in the slightest.

It's not that bad. 6/10

I read about audiences walking out of some theaters for Cats. It's had some terrible box office numbers.

[Typhon]

A story about 5 New Yorkers on Christmas Eve.  A decent holiday movie. 7/10

[Typhon]

Set in 1930s Shanghai, where a blind American diplomat develops a curious relationship with a young Russian refugee who works odd, and sometimes illicit, jobs to support members of her dead husband's aristocratic family.  Not as interesting as I hoped it would be, but well made. 6.5/10

[Typhon]

Based on real events, the U.S. government decides to go after an agro-business giant with a price-fixing accusation, based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, vice president-turned-informant Mark Whitacre.  The only problem, Whitacre is a habitual liar.  Very funny movie, both intentionally and unintentionally. 8/10

[Zzzptm]

Based on real events, the U.S. government decides to go after an agro-business giant with a price-fixing accusation, based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, vice president-turned-informant Mark Whitacre.  The only problem, Whitacre is a habitual liar.  Very funny movie, both intentionally and unintentionally. 8/10

I started to watch that movie on a recent flight, but it was too hard to follow on the plane. I'll give it another go when I'm in the hotel next week.