The Whale
8/10
Heavy drama, great acting, unexpected storyline.
I saw this last night and had a completely different reaction to it. Itâs BAD with a capital B. Itâs offensively exploitative, mawkish, and so, so poorly-written to the point of comical. I know expecting Darren Aronofsky to apply subtlety in his direction is like expecting anal sex to not hurt without proper lube, but the man is really pushing it with this. The ending was so over the top that it literally gave me a giggle.
Fraser does his best with shit material heâs given, but thereâs only so much he can do. The only thing that actually works in this horror of a movie is Hong Chau who delivered an A class performance in an F class film. Her scenes are the only watchable parts of this dumpster fire.
Amongst the worst films of the year along with that other exploitative, embarrassing piece of garbage Blonde.
EO
8/10
Fictional biography of a donkey. Very little dialogue but still very intriguing and great escapism story.
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I kind of thought her performance was the least of the best.
Saw this a few weeks ago. Itâs based on a true story where a Senegalese woman killed her baby daughter on a beach in France and was subsequently brought to trial. I was very intrigued at first, but after the first hour the main character became so unsympathetic that I stopped giving a fuck about her and lost interest in the rest of the film.
Saw this for Angela Bassett, otherwise wouldnât have gotten near another Marvel movie with a ten-foot pole. Itâs got some strong moments here and there, and the soundtrack is by far the strongest aspect of it and legit one of the best of the year. The rest of it is standard Marvel crap full of plotholes and nonsense. Itâs also unfortunate that this came out in the same year as Avatar 2 which also features blue people and an âocean tribeâ of sorts, and itâs clear as day that the latter is superior (even if I donât love Avatar 2 either).
Bob Hoskins got out of prison, got a job as the driver for a high-end hooker in London then got tangled in the British prostitution ring run by mobsters. Bob Hoskins really rocks the shit out of this otherwise quite standard Neil Jordan movie. Like REALLY, really rocks it. Between this, The Long Good Friday, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, he was truly the unsung king of the 80s.
One of the last 2022 releases I wanted to see. Itâs also based on the real story of an isolated, religious colony in the 2000s where many women woke up and found themselves and some of their children drugged then violently raped by men in the colony. Iâd heard some not so enthusiastic reviews about it so I was on a fence going into it, but I actually like it quite a bit. Itâs got some naff, stagey moments where certain characters go full bitch mode, which didnât feel natural at all, and wears its sermon on the sleeve from time to time, but there are some really strong, haunting moments as well which even it out. And the simple yet luminous soundtrack really elevates the experience. I wasnât bothered by the sepia tone either as I think it fits the tone of the movie.
It was like spending two hours in codependency hell. Nothing redeeming about it at all.
Really liked these two. Roger Rabbit was clever with the gimmick, but forgettable.
White Noise
This is possible one of the worst movies Iâve ever watched. The entire movie just feels wrong. The scenes donât seem to even fit together and itâs like trying to cut 3 movies into 1. It tries to be smart but itâs boring. Extremely boring.
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Absolute lunacy of the highest order. A loner builds a robot from spare parts. I absolutely loved it.
2 Likes
The Florida Project (2017) (8/10) - depressing slice-of-life film about white trash kids living in a hotel. Surprisingly solid performances from the kid actors and decently engaging plot, but nothing Iâd watch again.
The Sting (1973) (9/10) - watched it because Netflix told me it was going away end of February. If you liked Paul Newmanâs and Robert Redfordâs chemistry in Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, youâll enjoy this too. A fun caper with a pretty complex plot as it follows two con men (lovable ones, of course) trying to trick a huge mob boss into taking a fall. Probably falls a bit short of âButch CassidyâŠâ just because thatâs so good but still a classic in its own right. Today, 2/28, is last day to watch it on Netflix.
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The Sting is top class.
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Is that supposed to be the same character from Ricky Gervaisâs After Life series?
Donât know if itâs the same character but gotta be the same actor. I enjoyed that whole series apart from some of itâs darkness.
Yes, that and a few others roll off Netflix today (Sept 28) so I guess until midnight tonight is the last chance to see them there:
Broken Flowers â Bill Murray hunts down some old flames after getting an anonymous letter that he has a previously unknown adult son by one of them. A quirky Jim Jaramusch film that left me a bit puzzled but worth it.
To Catch a Thief â Hitchcock: Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. Fairly weak plot of a reformed jewel thief out to prove his innocence after a wave of thefts similar to his style. Worth it to see Grant in his prime (amazingly handsome and fit in his 50âs), one Kellyâs few films before retiring to marry into royalty and the gorgeous French Riviera scenery is beautifully shot.
American Graffiti â Many past and future stars like Ron Howard, Harrison Ford, Richard Dreyfuss, Cindy Williams and Mackenzie Philips play teens cruising around town on the last night before college. DJ Wolfman Jack plays himself. Classic rock ânâ roll soundtrack.
Charlie Wilsonâs War â Havenât seen it yet. Last on my list to watch today/tonight. Last film directed by Mike Nichols. Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman and the great Ned Beatty. Congress and CiA spooks based on real life stories.
The Sting â As mentioned, Redford and Newman, almost enough said there but also outstanding performances by Robert Shaw, as well as Eileen Brennen, Charles Durning, Ray Walston, Harold Gould and Dana Elcar. Yes, hard for me to choose between this and Butch Cassidy, both among my favorite films and both with powerful endings.
There may be more rolling off of Netflix tonight but these are pretty good choices for the last of a long holiday weekend.
2 Likes
I like Brian and Charles concept a lot although it seemed to slow down a bit towards the end.
Fortunately not. This character isnât as sad or bitter about life.
Correct. David Earl.
I think thatâs a fair comment. 
A Man Called Otto: a community theater version of the animated film Up, starring Tom Hanks as himself pretending to be an actor. Not good:
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A Man Called Otto
6/10
Tom Hanks is a Karen curmudgeon. Predictively grumpy and very woke like the author made a list of woke issues and fit them all into the movie.
Based on a Swedish film, A Man Called Ove (2015) - IMDb
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Originality once again sacrificed on the altar of ideology by Hollywoke do-gooders with an insatiable desire to stuff their beliefs down our throats.