Rate The Last Movie You Watched

[Marmel]

Lego Movie 9/10
One of the better animated movies I have seen in quite some time. I like the pop culture references throughout. Funny for adults.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

I had never heard of the series but I saw some recent reviews where they said the third book was by far the weakest of the trilogy...and this was the book they made two movies out of.

It's polarizing, mostly because the third book actually makes a pretty courageous move, IMO, for an actiony type of series. It elevates the series to me.

[Suicane75]

No proper review cause I just watched it last night, but Predestination is a pretty brilliant piece of sci-fi mindfuck. It's one of those movies you don't really wanna say much about cause to spoil even one little thing would probably be too much. I'd put it close to 8/10 easily and give it my MUST WATCH seal of approval.

[sabotai]

The Graduate - 7/10 - I liked it, but it was really tough to get through. I just felt awkward watching this movie. Thought the acting was great, liked the directing, liked the Simon and Garfunkel music but it felt forced in some scenes. Loved seeing Mr. Roper. But I couldn't shake that feeling of awkwardness and I'm sure that was intentional. It starts off with a close shot that stays on Hoffman at his graduation party meant to convey a sense of claustrophobia. They did the job, but doesn't mean I had to like it.

Spoiler

The awkward affair with Mrs Robinson, the first date with Elaine to him super stalking her at college...and then she runs off with him. Just, totally felt awkward the whole time and came close to just turning it off a few times.

[Desnudo]

Guardians of the Galaxy reminds me of the original Star Wars movies - doesn't take itself too seriously, great acting, doesn't rely on special effects although the special effects are great.

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by Desnudo

Guardians of the Galaxy reminds me of the original Star Wars movies - doesn't take itself too seriously, great acting, doesn't rely on special effects although the special effects are great.

I was pleasantly surprised with it. Easily the best comic book movie I have seen recently, right up there with the best of the Batman reboot.

Loved the soundtrack too, and starting to develop a liking for James Gunn as a writer/director.

[korme]

Originally Posted by sabotai

The Graduate - 7/10 - I liked it, but it was really tough to get through. I just felt awkward watching this movie. Thought the acting was great, liked the directing, liked the Simon and Garfunkel music but it felt forced in some scenes. Loved seeing Mr. Roper. But I couldn't shake that feeling of awkwardness and I'm sure that was intentional. It starts off with a close shot that stays on Hoffman at his graduation party meant to convey a sense of claustrophobia. They did the job, but doesn't mean I had to like it.

Spoiler

The awkward affair with Mrs Robinson, the first date with Elaine to him super stalking her at college...and then she runs off with him. Just, totally felt awkward the whole time and came close to just turning it off a few times.

Room Clerk: Are you here for an affair, sir?
Benjamin: What?
Room Clerk: The Singleman party, sir?
Benjamin: Ah, yes, the Singleman party.


So good.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Suicane75

No proper review cause I just watched it last night, but Predestination is a pretty brilliant piece of sci-fi mindfuck. It's one of those movies you don't really wanna say much about cause to spoil even one little thing would probably be too much. I'd put it close to 8/10 easily and give it my MUST WATCH seal of approval.

I don't see that at BoxOfficeMojo, in theatres or having been released.

[revrew]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

I don't see that at BoxOfficeMojo, in theatres or having been released.

IMDB: Predestination (2014) - IMDb

[ISiddiqui]

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 - 7/10: It was interesting that they stopped there. I guess on some level it makes sense. As a fan of the books, I kind of like giving us some more time to explore a narrative rather than having to rush through it - esp a book like Mockingjay. Some great, great acting by Jennifer Lawrence. She always is fantastic in any role she is in from Oscar-bait down to action and doesn't disappoint here. Also it was a bit sad seeing Philip Seymour Hoffman in his last role and a nice tribute text at the end to him. Excited for Part 2!

[Groundhog]

What If (or 'The F Word' depending on the country it was relased in) - 7.5/10
Last night was date night with the wife, so I suffered through a Daniel Radcliffe-led chick flick... only to be pleasantly surprised. There was absolutely nothing groundbreaking or new about the film, but it was very well acted and I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to.

[Buccaneer]

Finally watched Kill Bill 1 and 2, despite not being a big fan of Tarantino but of kung fu movies/genre plus spaghetti westerns. Overall good homage to both genres, lots of great scenes in both.
Kill Bill 1 - 7/10 Good action, loved the Hanzo scene and the manga animation was an unexpected surprise. Very memorable music too, much more than in 2.
Kill Bill 2 - 6/10 Much, much more plodding and even found myself fast-forwarding through some scenes which I never do on first viewing. But my favorite scene is, of course, Pai Mei, which was what attracted me to seeing this in the first place. However, despite my lower grade, I would watch this again before I would watch 1.

[Lathum]

Took the kids to see Big Hero Six, one of the better pixar movies in a while.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Took the kids to see Big Hero Six, one of the better pixar movies in a while.

Not Pixar, neither was Frozen.

[Marmel]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Finally watched Kill Bill 1 and 2, despite not being a big fan of Tarantino but of kung fu movies/genre plus spaghetti westerns. Overall good homage to both genres, lots of great scenes in both.
Kill Bill 1 - 7/10 Good action, loved the Hanzo scene and the manga animation was an unexpected surprise. Very memorable music too, much more than in 2.
Kill Bill 2 - 6/10 Much, much more plodding and even found myself fast-forwarding through some scenes which I never do on first viewing. But my favorite scene is, of course, Pai Mei, which was what attracted me to seeing this in the first place. However, despite my lower grade, I would watch this again before I would watch 1.

These movies hold up so well on 2nd, 3rd and further viewings. They actually get better the 2nd and 3rd time through. In fact, part 2 becomes the better movie the more you watch them, IMO. Of course these are 2 of my favorites (and I don't fawn over QT. He is hit or miss to me.) of all time.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Not Pixar, neither was Frozen.

It is surprising to realize that the last 3 Pixar movies were: Cars 2, Brave, and Monsters University. It's definitely a down period in Pixar.

[Easy Mac]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

What If (or 'The F Word' depending on the country it was relased in) - 7.5/10
Last night was date night with the wife, so I suffered through a Daniel Radcliffe-led chick flick... only to be pleasantly surprised. There was absolutely nothing groundbreaking or new about the film, but it was very well acted and I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to.

What If - Watched this last night, I concur with your assessment. I think it was Adam Driver occasional randomness that made it better than the light fare it was. 6.5/10

The One I Love - Enjoyed the performances a lot. Elizabeth Moss is just great, and I have a man-crush on Mark Duplass. A bit weird, but interesting exploration of relationships going stale. The sci-fi-ness of it tried to be a bit cute. 8/10

Happy Christmas - Mildly enjoyable, but its a generally forgettable mumblecore-ish type movie. Saved because Anna Kendrick is humanity's greatest creation. 5.5/10

Your Sister's Sister - My professed enjoyment of Mark Duplass is not abated by this movie. Emily Blunt is her usual charming self. Rose Marie DeWitt is lovely as always. The movie itself moves well and the banter is well done, but there's not much to the movie. 6.5/10

[Easy Mac]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

It is surprising to realize that the last 3 Pixar movies were: Cars 2, Brave, and Monsters University. It's definitely a down period in Pixar.

Meanwhile, Disney Animations most recent CGI ones are: Big Hero 6, Frozen, Wreck It Ralph and Tangled. Seems Disney moved its best animators over to that part of the company.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

It is surprising to realize that the last 3 Pixar movies were: Cars 2, Brave, and Monsters University. It's definitely a down period in Pixar.

I don't agree totally. Counting Toy Story 1-3 as one movie, I have Brave and MU in my top 6 all time Pixar movies. Cars is #1 for me but I agree about Cars 2.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

Meanwhile, Disney Animations most recent CGI ones are: Big Hero 6, Frozen, Wreck It Ralph and Tangled. Seems Disney moved its best animators over to that part of the company.

It's not the animation and animators (even though I think Pixar does animation better than any of the Disney ones you listed). It comes down to story-telling and writing, which Disney attracts great talent for. As much as I love Pixar over Disney Animation, they do need to get out of the sequel rut.

[Matthean]

I think one thing to factor in is that Pixar created such a standard that other companies are going for that level of quality, and we the viewers have benefited from it. Who knows what animated films would be like without Pixar. Well, outside of Studio Ghibli being such a quality studio.

[sterlingice]

I'm a bit disappointed that Disney is poaching all the Pixar talent because they set that high standard you mention

SI

[Matthean]

Just watched Big Hero 6. Somewhere around a 8-9. I think it is that "low" due to the new standard.

[Fidatelo]

Big Hero 6 is really good, saw it with the family on Saturday. My little 4 Year old teared up near the end, it was pretty cute (no bawling or sounds at all, just tears streaming down his face).

[molson]

I was really entertained by the Theory of Everything. And that lead actor - maybe that role is one of those dream actor jobs that lots people could bite into and do well, but I thought that guy was awesome. It wasn't just an impression, I think he brought his own charm and humor to Hawking that worked well with the tone the movie was going for. A friend of mine who saw it wanted more science, more of an attempt at an explanation about why exactly Hawking was a such a big deal, but I don't know, "more physics" is probably not a phrase that I'd wish upon any widely released movie like this. You can always read his book.

[chinaski]

The Babadook (2014) - IMDb

I think I had this one too hyped up in my mind going in. Supposed to be the scariest movie the director of the exorcist has ever seen... yada yada. It wasn't really scary too me much, but it does lay on the atmosphere really well and the kid creep factor is off the charts. The lead actress alone is worth giving this a watch, she was phenomenal. Wish it would have been scarier, but overall its really quite good. Solid 7/10.

[stevew]

Cocaine Cowboys:Reloaded 9/10
Really good doc about Miami drug excesses in the 80s. Some really crazy footage and interviews. I believe this version is the updated extended cut of the original, so it may be worth checking out if you saw it before.

Also I know Miami Vice already exists but we could really use a True Detective type series in 1980s Miami. Or like a 1 season extended Scarface-type miniseries.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by stevew

Cocaine Cowboys:Reloaded 9/10
Really good doc about Miami drug excesses in the 80s. Some really crazy footage and interviews. I believe this version is the updated extended cut of the original, so it may be worth checking out if you saw it before.

Also I know Miami Vice already exists but we could really use a True Detective type series in 1980s Miami. Or like a 1 season extended Scarface-type miniseries.

I saw the original. What stuff did they add?

[ISiddiqui]

Interstellar - 9.5/10: Wow! Absolutely fantastic film! Great acting, great concept, great special effects. It knew to be quiet in space, it handled zero gravity well, it delved into the effects of relativity well. I loved all of it. The awe inspiring travel. The human drama of leaving a child to do what you feel needs to be done. I really, really enjoyed the end, which I know is polarizing. I loved the ideas behind the ending (and even Neil deGrasse Tyson had no issues with it ) and it really spurred my imagination. McConaughey was brilliant and some great small roles intersperse.

Fantastic all around!

[NobodyHere]

I miss Suicane's reviews

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

I miss Suicane's reviews

Agreed. Tho I got the sense that it was a giant marathon around Halloween that we were reading before

SI

[Qwikshot]

Originally Posted by chinaski

The Babadook (2014) - IMDb

I think I had this one too hyped up in my mind going in. Supposed to be the scariest movie the director of the exorcist has ever seen... yada yada. It wasn't really scary too me much, but it does lay on the atmosphere really well and the kid creep factor is off the charts. The lead actress alone is worth giving this a watch, she was phenomenal. Wish it would have been scarier, but overall its really quite good. Solid 7/10.

I'm going to disagree and say it was far better than 7.

As a parent, it was far creepier.

It was atmospherically scary like "The Shining" and

Spoiler

it never fully revealed the monster which I like, it left it to our imagination.

The claustrophobic set was great, the kid was great, the sound was great, whenever they were in that house it was dreadful.

I also like that

Spoiler

the ending doesn't resolve the monster, it is always with them much like grief, much like the mental drain on single parenting, the mother will always be scared and the monster will always be lurking

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by molson

I was really entertained by the Theory of Everything. And that lead actor - maybe that role is one of those dream actor jobs that lots people could bite into and do well, but I thought that guy was awesome.

Eddie Redmayne (the actor) seems to be someone just about to explode. He was one of the best parts of Les Miserables. He's in Jupiter Ascending. He's done great in Theory of Everything (from what I've heard). He's seeming to get bigger and juicier leading roles.

[Thomkal]

Well not sure if this is the right place for this, since its about a movie not even made yet (and may never be made), but exciting news yesterday about my all-time favorite book series, Dragonriders of Pern finally being optioned to a movie studio that could finally succeed in getting some movies out-Warner Bros.

Warner Bros’ New Franchise Play: ‘Dragonriders of Pern’ Book Series | Deadline

[Groundhog]

The Trip to Italy - 9/10
I hadn't seen the original The Trip, or even knew it existed, but for a movie that is literally just two actors travelling around Italy, eating food, talking about life, and improvising dialogue/impersonations, this was spectacular. Very highly recommended. The dialogue is genius.

The Good Lie - 9/10
A film about Sudanese children escaping from the horror of civil war in their own country, and then adjusting to life in the US as adult refugees. I kept waiting for the Hollywood clichés - oh here's the scene where the main chick falls for the refugee, oh here's the drug problem scene - only to be pleasantly surprised each time. This was just a heart-warming film about family and adversity that didn't feel the need to roll out the typical tropes to pad the script, and was all the better for it.

[sabotai]

The Wolf of Wall Street - 6/10
Wall Street + Goodfellas. It felt like it tried to keep too much of both ideas causing to really drag at times. I think if it chopped off a good 20-30 minutes, dropped a a side character or two, left out a bit more of the personal story and/or a bit more of the financial/crime story, etc. that it would have flowed much smoother and I wouldn't have paused it several times to see how much time was left.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

I saw the original. What stuff did they add?

A lot of the principle cast died I guess, and it's like 40-50 minutes longer.

[Suicane75]

Let's Be Cops: 70 Out Of 100 Stars
I'll admit that I have a pretty low threshold for stupid comedies. If you make me laugh, I like you. I don't give too many shits about story or sense, just don't be imbecilic to the point of distraction.

Johnson & Wayans are pretty much playing their New Girls characters here, and I like New Girl, so no trouble there.

The film is funny enough and despite being a little too much with the silliness at the start, the final two acts hit their mark with both the comedy and some unexpected and pleasantly surprising heart.

Funny, and not so serious that it gets overbearing, Let's Be Cops is a good time.


Nightcrawler: 71 Out Of 100 Stars
Jake Gyllenhaal is fantastic as a creepy scammer, making his way through life stealing this and grifting that. Where he comes from and why he is the way he is, we can only guess. And therein lies the films main problem, it exists solely for the time it's on the screen and seems to go out of its way to give no reasons or consequences.

Don't get me wrong, what we see is good, and there's a penultimate scene that is about as tense and dramatic as you could hope for, but there are just too many moments when the film takes the easy way out of being a truly deep story and instead settles for being a character study about a character it doesn't want to tell you much about.

And I had to knock off a few points for insinuating we were gonna get to see Renee Russo do some naughty things, and then not delivering. Don't fucking do that to me.

Ironically, Nightcrawler spends too much time above ground, when it seems like the real story is below the surface.

[Pyser]

i'm not sure which movie had more drumming, whiplash or birdman.

[Groundhog]

The Equalizer - 7/10
Based on an 80s TV show I've never heard of, this was actually a pretty entertaining movie despite just being 2 hours of Denzel Washington killing people in brutal ways. Marton Csokas was great as the Russian mafia enforcer.

Big Hero 6 - 8.5/10
Really enjoyed this - some real touching moments, but overall a very fun animation take on the superhero genre.

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by Marmel

These movies hold up so well on 2nd, 3rd and further viewings. They actually get better the 2nd and 3rd time through. In fact, part 2 becomes the better movie the more you watch them, IMO. Of course these are 2 of my favorites (and I don't fawn over QT. He is hit or miss to me.) of all time.

Agree 100%. I loved #1 the first time around and hated #2. I've seen them both many times now, and #2 is probably one of my favourite movies, while #1 hasn't held up nearly as much. The dialogue in #2 really carries it, while the shock factor of #1 fades with subsequent views.

[booradley]

Prometheus. 6.5 - entertaining, but wtf did I just watch? Everyone I've known who watched this repeats the same question? Film makes no sense in a number of ways ...

[Buccaneer]

I'm just about caught up on movies I wanted to see (which included almost nothing from 2014):

Guardians of the Galaxy - 4.5/10 To put this in context, I rated a couple Marvel movies 8-8.5 with the majority in the 6-7 range. The only good thing I can say about this movie was that it was better than Norton's Hulk.

Reign of Assassins - 6/10 Wuxia films are among my all-time favorites with House of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon in my top 10. Reign of Assassins comes highly rated and among wuxian fans, this is up there with the best of them. I didn't like it nor did I hate it, I thought it was too drab and mostly forgettable. One of the key charms of wuxia is the use of colors and dramatic sceneraries in fights but this had very little of either - almost all taking place in the dark. Having Michelle Yeoh (my 2nd favorite actress) in it made it watchable.

The Big Lebowksi - 5/10 Despite loving Fargo, I had put off watching this and now wonder what the big deal is. I know it's a cult classic but I thought Fargo had more memorable lines and a much better story that made you care about the characters. I just didn't care much for any of the Lebowski characters except for PSH. Some funny moments but many unfunny ones.

Pain and Gain - 6/10 I guess I am building up a Mark Wahlberg film collection for some unforeseen reason and this one I knew would be a bit excessive. The film is fascinating in that it was based on a true story, which seems unbelievable until you read the full account of the case. I don't think it was very well acted, even though Dwayne Johnson did display some acting chops surprisingly. The movie is watchable and re-watchable just to see how crazy and out-of-control things can get.

Almost Famous - 8.5/10 Had this on my list a long time but kept forgetting about it. Another collection I'm building is movies about the classic rock era and this is one of the best (taking place in 1973).

Rush - 8.5/10 Big fan of director Ron Howard and actor Chris Hemsworth and both were extraordinary but it was Daniel Bruhl that stole the movie with his portrayal of 1970's Formula 1 driver Niki Lauda. Even though I somewhat followed Formula 1 in that era (mainly because of Andretti), I never heard of Hunt or Lauda. Two very, very different people and racers and their rivalry was fun to watch unfold. The cover promo said this was Howard's best film and I agree.

Only three movies left on my list:
Silver Linings Playbook
Hunger Games 1 and 2

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by booradley

Prometheus. 6.5 - entertaining, but wtf did I just watch? Everyone I've known who watched this repeats the same question? Film makes no sense in a number of ways ...

Lindelof, man. I won't watch anything with his name attached to it ever again.

[ISiddiqui]

I dunno, Bucc, but if you watch The Big Lebowski and don't care for The Dude, you are doing it wrong.

[NobodyHere]

booradley lives up to his name...

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

Rush - 8.5/10 Big fan of director Ron Howard and actor Chris Hemsworth and both were extraordinary but it was Daniel Bruhl that stole the movie with his portrayal of 1970's Formula 1 driver Niki Lauda. Even though I somewhat followed Formula 1 in that era (mainly because of Andretti), I never heard of Hunt or Lauda. Two very, very different people and racers and their rivalry was fun to watch unfold. The cover promo said this was Howard's best film and I agree.

Yeah, I agree: this was a much better film than I was expecting. Bruhl was excellent.

[sabotai]

The Magnificent Seven - 6/10

Oh man. This movie had a lot of great stuff in it, but some stuff just didn't work. In a few cases, it stayed too close to Seven Samurai. The Magnificent Seven is 2 hours long, ~80 minutes shorter than Seven Samurai, but they kept as much as possible from the source making much of the film feel rushed.

I still liked it. It was good...just not near the level of the original.

Spoiler

I had it as an 7, maybe pushing 8, before the final battle, but a few things about that battle really dropped it down. The deaths of the gunmen all bunched up at the end of the battle made it feel cheap. Lee just standing around while an active gun battle goes on and then gets shot down. Britt shooting at a few running away at the very end and bullet from the last one catches him. The really absurd one was Bernardo getting killed because of the children. At that point, the battle was 100% over. As soon as he's shot, everyone is just walking around examining the aftermath of the battle and the kids crowd around him in the open. Where the fuck did that bullet come from!?

[Suicane75]

Still Alice: 73 Out Of 100 Stars
Hard to rate a movie this high when I did not, really did not, enjoy almost the entire first half of the movie. But good god, when this thing gets going it's like am emotional locomotive you can't get out of the way of.

Julliane Moore stars as a linguistics professor who realizes she's starting to forget words, lose place of where she is, and so on. An Alzheimers diagnosis soon follows.

My main issue is that most of the cast, especially Alec Baldwin as the husband, seem like they're sleepwalking through the first half of the movie. There's also this very high and mighty liberal vibe to the whole thing, like hey, we're making a movie about Alzheimers, aren't we grand. The entire setup comes across as a very by the book story that you feel just ought to be a lot better.

But then the script, and the actors, kick things into high gear. Does it go anywhere you aren't expecting? Not really. But the pacing and the story get maximum impact out of Alices mental degradation. Moore is just brilliant, and even Baldwin, who appeared to sleepwalk his way through the first act, comes alive in a very subtle but thunderous way. Kristin Stewart also shines.

Still Alice takes a while to get going, but once it does, it hits on all cylinders and packs every bit the punch that the first half of the movie is intimating, but not delivering on.

[ISiddiqui]

Selma - 8/10: Excellent film! Well directed, well acted - it is a shame that Oyelowo isn't nominated for Best Actor because he did a fantastic job! He brought MLK to life in a very real and personal way (the movie even addressed his infidelity, which was interesting). Loved how they did the film - it was a slice of the Civil Rights period, right after the signing of the Civil Rights Act and before the Voting Rights Act and didn't try to shove too much in it. I think folks tend to forget the steps involved - the Civil Rights Act wasn't the end. Though I wish they did explain it a bit better (maybe with text in the beginning of the movie).

The one thing that really bothered me (and dropped the rating from a 9 to an 8) was the portrayal of LBJ. I went in thinking that the protestations were overdone and LBJ was just going to be politically pursuing other principles but firmly committed to civil rights (as he was in real life). Nope. He was a straight villain for the first half of the movie - talking to his aides about getting MLK "in line" with the administration, guiding the FBI to make things difficult for him, etc. They basically turned a hero of the civil rights era into a villain. Wasn't right.