Last movie you saw? v2.0

[MirrorMask]

I watched Daliland. Quirky movie carried by Ben Kingsley's rendition of Salvator Dalì. Alice Cooper is one of the characters, and so is Jeff Fenholt (he had a very brief and disputed tenure with Black Sabbath in the time before Tony Iommi was eventually pressured to call his solo album "Black Sabbath featuring Tony Iommi"), so there's a bit of rock n' roll in that movie 

[Chino]

Finally got around to seeing that new Mario movie over the weekend.

I enjoyed it quite a bit, and I loved the bajillion easter eggs that could be traced back through the franchise over the years. 

I don't think Nintendo is going to sit on this. If they did it correctly, they could have a whole bunch of movies for all of the characters. Give Luigi a movie, and peach, and DK, and whoever else. Then in 10 years have a Super Smash movie that's on par with the Avengers as far as tying in movies and characters.

[El Barto]

Requiem for a Dream is way up there on the list of movies that I found brilliant but have no desire to rewatch

Yeah, pretty much feel the same way.

Found an essay about Ass to Ass guy a while back that was a hoot:

Ass to Ass

The most memorable part of Darren Aronofsky’s 2000 film “Requiem for a Dream” is the fast-paced, soul-scrapingly disturbing, epilepsy-inducing climax where the lives of the main characters go completely and irreversibly to shit. And while there are many images that forcibly wedge themselves in the audience’s mind, there’s one that always stands out above all of them: ASS-TO-ASS!

It takes a special character to pull off introducing a sex act involving a huge black double dildo simultaneously anally penetrating two girls on a coffee table, and The Ass-to-Ass Guy doesn’t disappoint. In the credits of “Requiem,” there is no “Ass-to-Ass” Guy listed, however I that he is the character listed as Uncle Hank played by Stanley B. Herman. I’m not sure how he got cast to be the Ass-to-Ass guy, but from what I can tell it was the role he was born to play. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want to be forever remembered as the Ass-to-Ass Guy, but sometimes we can’t dictate how we want to be remembered to others. Like how most people will always remember Geraldo Rivera for finding nothing in Al Capone’s vault or getting hit in the face with a chair on his talk show.

Not since Boba Fett in the original Star Wars trilogy has a character so intrigued the masses with a bare minimum of screen time. First of all, how did this old guy get invited to Big Tim’s party? What does he do during the day when he’s not watching deviant sex acts? What’s his job? Does he have a wife? Does he make her do ass-to-ass? How did he figure out that he likes to watch two girls doing ass-to-ass? Does he have offspring? Do they like watching ass-to-ass too? You may think it’s rather crazy to think of these questions, but every good actor asks these questions so they can get into their character. I wish James Lipton would have this guy on his show on Bravo so we could learn the answers to these questions (or maybe they already have and I missed it because they didn’t hype it as having the ass-to-ass guy from “Requiem” on). That would be the greatest interview since the time Opie and Anthony had Tommy Lee on their show and Opie called Tommy Lee a pussy.

“Requiem for a Dream” teaches us that doing heroin leads to jail time, amputation, and being a whore. What it also teaches us is that if you apply yourself and get rich, you can get invited to these classy parties where heroin-addicted whores will do all sorts of crazy shit on a coffee table right in front of you. And they take requests too. Sure, Big Tim may be a drug dealer, but he’s not making any money off it. He’s only selling heroin for pussy so obviously he has a damn good day job. How else would he be able to pay for his swanky place and be able to throw these kick-ass parties? So I think what “Requiem” is ultimately telling us is that if you don’t do drugs and get a good-paying job you can get poor drug-addicted girls to fuck on your coffee table in front of twenty of your friends. That’s the American dream right there.

Why did they call the character Uncle Hank in the credits? Is that something they address in the Hubert Selby Jr. book “Requiem” was based on? I always hear about the book being better than the movie when it comes to films based on books. Could there be an entire chapter devoted to the Ass-to-Ass Guy? And why do they call him Uncle Hank instead of just Hank? My guess is because since he looks like the oldest person at this party, he’s like that uncle everyone has in their family who will drink with you and hook you up with stuff like illegal fireworks or heroin-addicted whores. I can see him coming to a Fourth of July family barbeque and the kids cheering: “Hey, Uncle Hank’s here and he’s brought the M-80’s and whores! Yay! We love our Uncle Hank.” Or I can see Uncle Hank pulling a nephew aside and saying, “Don’t tell your mom about this, but I scored you some government-grade pot and a teenage runaway who will blow you for a sandwich.” Uncle Hank’s the coolest!

[Glasser]

MEG 2: The Trench. 

[pg1067]

MEG 2: The Trench.

What did you you think?

My comments from the previous page:  I went to see Meg 2: The Trench yesterday (while my 21yo son went to see TMNT).  It was stupid but fun (much like the first one).  What I can't understand is why these movies have almost completely eschewed any continuity with the books.  I haven't read them in a while, but I loved them and was very much looking forward to a movie being made (the first one was in development hell for several years).  Given how silly the movies have been, I'm just not sure why they wouldn't have stuck closer to the books.

[Samsara]

Saw The Last Voyage of the Demeter on Sunday afternoon. I thought it was really good.

[Metro]

Tried watching 65.
How do you manage to make a movie with dinosaurs so boring

[Glasser]

MEG 2: The Trench.

What did you you think?

My comments from the previous page:  I went to see Meg 2: The Trench yesterday (while my 21yo son went to see TMNT).  It was stupid but fun (much like the first one).  What I can't understand is why these movies have almost completely eschewed any continuity with the books.  I haven't read them in a while, but I loved them and was very much looking forward to a movie being made (the first one was in development hell for several years).  Given how silly the movies have been, I'm just not sure why they wouldn't have stuck closer to the books.

I thoroughly enjoyed it in all its action packed far fetched stupidity. I never read the books so I can't compare, maybe that's a good thing. The second half was non stop over the top action which entertained me for sure, funny as well. I can understand someone completely disliking it as well as enjoying it.

[Lonk]

Caught the new TMNT movie, and that was surprisingly good. Liked it a lot more than I expected (though my expectations were low).

[pg1067]

MEG 2: The Trench.

What did you you think?

My comments from the previous page:  I went to see Meg 2: The Trench yesterday (while my 21yo son went to see TMNT).  It was stupid but fun (much like the first one).  What I can't understand is why these movies have almost completely eschewed any continuity with the books.  I haven't read them in a while, but I loved them and was very much looking forward to a movie being made (the first one was in development hell for several years).  Given how silly the movies have been, I'm just not sure why they wouldn't have stuck closer to the books.

I thoroughly enjoyed it in all its action packed far fetched stupidity. I never read the books so I can't compare, maybe that's a good thing. The second half was non stop over the top action which entertained me for sure, funny as well. I can understand someone completely disliking it as well as enjoying it.

Yeah...after the first movie, I knew what I was going to get, and I have no regrets.  I enjoyed myself.  I just find it baffling that they deviated so much from the books, which had great stories.  From what I've read, it seems like the author had little involvement in the making of the movies.

[pg1067]

Tried watching 65.
How do you manage to make a movie with dinosaurs so boring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j03TBsTi7Ro

[lordxizor]

I watched Flamin' Hot on Disney+ over the weekend. It was a nice feel good story about the janitor at Frito Lay who invented the flamin' hot seasoning. I actually quite enjoyed it.

[faizoff]

I watched Flamin' Hot on Disney+ over the weekend. It was a nice feel good story about the janitor at Frito Lay who invented the flamin' hot seasoning. I actually quite enjoyed it.

Wife and me saw it last week too. Feel good story for sure, though some truths are stretched more than others.

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-05-16/flamin-hot-cheetos-richard-montanez

There’s just one problem: Montañez didn’t invent Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, according to interviews with more than a dozen former Frito-Lay employees, the archival record and Frito-Lay itself.

“None of our records show that Richard was involved in any capacity in the Flamin’ Hot test market,” Frito-Lay wrote in a statement to The Times, in response to questions about an internal investigation whose existence has not been previously disclosed. “We have interviewed multiple personnel who were involved in the test market, and all of them indicate that Richard was not involved in any capacity in the test market.

“That doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate Richard,” the statement continued, “but the facts do not support the urban legend.”

Flamin’ Hots were created by a team of hotshot snack food professionals starting in 1989, in the corporate offices of Frito-Lay’s headquarters in Plano, Texas. The new product was designed to compete with spicy snacks sold in the inner-city mini-marts of the Midwest. A junior employee with a freshly minted MBA named Lynne Greenfeld got the assignment to develop the brand — she came up with the Flamin’ Hot name and shepherded the line into existence.

[lordxizor]

I watched Flamin' Hot on Disney+ over the weekend. It was a nice feel good story about the janitor at Frito Lay who invented the flamin' hot seasoning. I actually quite enjoyed it.

Wife and me saw it last week too. Feel good story for sure, though some truths are stretched more than others.

https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-05-16/flamin-hot-cheetos-richard-montanez

There’s just one problem: Montañez didn’t invent Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, according to interviews with more than a dozen former Frito-Lay employees, the archival record and Frito-Lay itself.

“None of our records show that Richard was involved in any capacity in the Flamin’ Hot test market,” Frito-Lay wrote in a statement to The Times, in response to questions about an internal investigation whose existence has not been previously disclosed. “We have interviewed multiple personnel who were involved in the test market, and all of them indicate that Richard was not involved in any capacity in the test market.

“That doesn’t mean we don’t celebrate Richard,” the statement continued, “but the facts do not support the urban legend.”

Flamin’ Hots were created by a team of hotshot snack food professionals starting in 1989, in the corporate offices of Frito-Lay’s headquarters in Plano, Texas. The new product was designed to compete with spicy snacks sold in the inner-city mini-marts of the Midwest. A junior employee with a freshly minted MBA named Lynne Greenfeld got the assignment to develop the brand — she came up with the Flamin’ Hot name and shepherded the line into existence.

Well that's kind of disappointing. Why would they have just fabricated all of that? Why would Frito Lay have agreed to be a huge part of the movie it it was false? Why would the guy himself have consented to the movie? I have so many questions now.

[Stadler]

If I remember, there was one of those "The History Of Food" shows on the Food Network, which I used to watch pretty religiously (they had shows about McDonald's, the history of the cola wars, that kind of stuff) and I seem to remember that Flaming Hot story there too. 

I'm kind of with Lordxizor; how does that story perpetuate on that level for so long?

[XJDenton]

Flying back from Japan, I managed to catch up on a few films I'd managed to miss in cinemas:

Super Mario Bros - Competent but soulless. I was comparing it to Ready Player One in my head, and not in a good way.
Everything Everywhere All At Once - Imaginative and really excellent in both acting and spectacle. Great stuff.
John Wick 4 - Solid end to the saga. Decent set pieces and fights.
GOTG3 - Definitely was not expecting it to be as emotive as it was. A pretty excellent end to their story all things considered.

[faizoff]

If I remember, there was one of those "The History Of Food" shows on the Food Network, which I used to watch pretty religiously (they had shows about McDonald's, the history of the cola wars, that kind of stuff) and I seem to remember that Flaming Hot story there too. 

I'm kind of with Lordxizor; how does that story perpetuate on that level for so long?

That baffled me as well, apparently the guy has been giving talks for years and wrote a book or two on how he invented it and came up with the name. His rise was no doubt meteoric, going from a janitor to a highly placed executive position. That's a feat in of itself. Not sure what the deal with it all really is.

[Glasser]

You're  Place Or Mine. Romantic comedy on Netflix with Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher.

[jingle.boy]

You're  Place Or Mine. Romantic comedy on Netflix with Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher.

Good date night movie with mrs.jingle.  We watched a few months back.

Last night ... Moving On.  Not exactly the kind of thing you'd expect from a Fonda/Tomlin flick.  I wouldn't call it 'dark'... but it sure was dim.  They both put in a very good performance.  84 minute movie, so it went by nice and quick.

[Metro]

Cocaine Bear not good.

[Glasser]

You're  Place Or Mine. Romantic comedy on Netflix with Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher.

Good date night movie with mrs.jingle.  We watched a few months back.

Last night ... Moving On.  Not exactly the kind of thing you'd expect from a Fonda/Tomlin flick.  I wouldn't call it 'dark'... but it sure was dim.  They both put in a very good performance.  84 minute movie, so it went by nice and quick.

It was cute. I'll check out Moving On with the Mrs. Thanks!

[Stadler]

One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest - Outstanding movie, one of my favorites of all time.  I've seen it about 5 or 6 times (and read the book a couple times as well).
 
Easy Rider - I guess you had to be there.  Other than a young Tony Basil, it hasn't aged well.  I had seen it once in the day but apparently not all the way through since there were a couple scenes I didn't remember (I do recall being SHOCKED to find out the motorcycle helmet my dad had when I was a kid was the same one Peter Fonda wore; Dad never struck me as a fan of independent road films!!)

[Metro]

Karate Kid marathon today. I've seen the first 2 plenty of times, but never watched 3 and 4. I'm not touching the remake.

[Orbert]

I'm not touching the remake.

Wise.  We're both Jackie Chan fans, and thought maybe he would make it worthwhile, but we were wrong.  It blew chunks.

[soupytwist]

I'm not touching the remake.

Wise.  We're both Jackie Chan fans, and thought maybe he would make it worthwhile, but we were wrong.  It blew chunks.

It's a bit boring, but I'd say it's better than 4 (the Next Karate Kid) - that is a steaming pile of shite, depict Hilary Swanks best effects (and a small part for a young Walton Goggins).

[Orbert]

I forgot about 4.  That's probably a good thing.

[Dream Team]

Finally saw Barbie with another couple. Some pretty genius writing by Gerwig.

[Glasser]

You are so not invited to my bat mitzvah. Adam Sandler still makes great movies!

[Metro]

I did my annual rewatch of Lord of the Rings this weekend. Extended editions because why would you not?

Also watched The Flash last night. Very disappointing. And that CGI makes Neil Breen movies look professional.
I’m bored of the multiverse trend in Hollywood right now. Everything Everywhere was one of my favorite movies last year, but I’ve yet to see superhero movie do something interesting with it outside of just cameos and fan service.

[Grappler]

Rewatched Expendables 1, 2 and 3 since they showed up on Netflix.  I love those movies and forgot how many little quips they put into them with all of the actors' catchphrases from their classic films. 

[Metro]

Fool’s Paradise


Unfortunately, it’s just not very funny.

[MirrorMask]

I did my annual rewatch of Lord of the Rings this weekend. Extended editions because why would you not?

You mean the only edition existing, right?

 

[Glasser]

Rewatched Expendables 1, 2 and 3 since they showed up on Netflix.  I love those movies and forgot how many little quips they put into them with all of the actors' catchphrases from their classic films.

Nice! Going to see Equalizer 3 tomorrow! Denzel is brilliant in those.

[axeman90210]

Tried to get my money's worth on my unlimited pass the last few weekends before football comes back:

Strays was exactly as dumb and straightforward as you'd think based on the trailer. Jamie Foxx in particular was really having fun with his voice acting, and I do have to admit that the musical cue for the climax of the movie had me audibly chuckling.

The Last Voyage of the Demeter took a fairly thin/throwaway concept (Dracula on a boat! Let's stretch this chapter from the book into a whole movie) and elevated it a little bit with effort and execution. Sir Davos isn't going to get a thumbs down from me.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem was probably my biggest pleasant surprise of the bunch. I didn't really follow much about this or the reviews it was getting, I just went in at the right age for those nostagic feels, but this was a delight. Fun animation style and a fast paced story that was straightforward enough but worked well. Also maybe the first time I've seen the turtles actually portrayed as teenagers. I'm absolutely hoping that we see more of this iteration of the TMNT.

Talk to Me was good, an interesting concept and a great performance from lead Sophie Wilde. It did feel at times that for a horror movie, the amount of time that it spent feeling creepy or scary was a little bit low.

Blue Beetle was decent. The family dynamic gave it a little bit of a different vibe than most, although the "hero fights evil version of himself" story again was a little disappointing. Still, it sounds like this will be the first character that will live in James Gunn's DCU (though it's not the first DCU) film, and I'm fine with seeing some more of this little corner of the DCU.

The Meg 2 was pure end of summer schlock, but it at least moves from ridiculous story beat to ridiculous story beat fast enough that you didn't really have too much time to dwell on it, and then lets it rip for most of the last half hour or so. It did feel like the movie focused too much on the evil corporation responsible for everything and not enough on the ancient underwater killing machines.

[Metro]

I did my annual rewatch of Lord of the Rings this weekend. Extended editions because why would you not?

You mean the only edition existing, right?

 

Exactly!


Today I watched The Hobbit: The Tolkien Edit. Someone condensed all three Hobbit movies into one 4.5 hour movie that more closely follows the book. It cuts out a lot of the stupid stuff that makes the trilogy so disappointing. There’s some questionable editing choices here and there, but it’s better for the most part, and I’d certainly rather watch this again that watch the whole trilogy again.