Flickfessions

steveP said:

From Dusk Till Dawn

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I was lucky enough to see this at the drive ins after some other show not having a clue what it was about, so good.

Yeah, it's one of those forgotten gems.

Thale
https://en.wikipedia...hale_%28film%29

A bit of an odd movie about Scandinavian folklore creatures, hulders. They are a human-cat like hybrid and roam the forests. The story is about two men who run a crime cleanup business, responsible for cleaning up the remains of bodies that have been found. During cleaning of a remote country home, they find a hidden underground bunker/medical experiment room. Inside they find a captured hulder who has been held as prisoner for decades by the dead man. The movie started off quite good, telling me a story I've never heard before. But then it kind of fizzles out and has a weak third act that doesn't really explain anything. I'm sure the low budget had an impact on this. I'd rate the movie below average.




Blood Glacier
https://en.wikipedia...i/Blood_Glacier

Another European supernatural/horror movie, this time taking place in the Austrian Alps. Scientists working out a remote outpost wake up one morning to find a blood red glacier that appears to be leaking biological matter. While they run tests, it has already started to affect the local wide life in an Alien-esque way. When a host comes into contact with the stuff leaking from the glacier, a mutant creature will burst out of the host's chest, but the mutant is a hybrid of the host, and whatever other biological matter is in its stomach. So if a dog is infected and was eating rats, the new creature will be a rat-dog. Within no time, there are crazy mutant things overrunning the outpost in the Alps, terrorising the scientists. To make matters worse, a government minister is visiting the station soon see how things are going and to report on any new discoveries. I think this is another case of the budget being a limiting factor in the telling of the story. The monsters did look a little cheap and nasty, and the ending did seem a bit rushed. It's probably only worth watching if you've run out of other movies to watch.




Inside Out
https://en.wikipedia...%282015_film%29

The latest Pixar movie, currently in cinemas. Thankfully this is a totally new story and concept, opposed to all the recent sequels to past films. The story starts as Riley is born and you see her consciousness appear. This is visualised by 5 core emotions/characters; Joy, Fear, Anger, Sadness and Disgust. Most of the story is shown through Riley's eyes, controlled by the 5 emotions and the way they interact to create memories. The main story is about Joy and Sadness getting lost inside Riley's head, and Riley turning into an emotional mess. Like most Pixar films, a lot of the movie involves a journey to right a wrong. Along the way there are the expected laughs as well as references to how we remember things are how we all have shaped out personality around life experiences. Adults will get a lot out of this as well, looking back to what shaped the person we are today. However I'd say overall this is more aimed at kids. Definitely a movie the whole family can enjoy.

Point and Shoot
https://en.wikipedia...hoot_%28film%29

A documentary about Matthew Vandyke, a single child from a well-off family looking for direction in life. In his mid 20s and straight out of college, never working a day in his sheltered life, Matthew buys a motorcycle and decides to document his journey across Africa and parts of the Middle East. Nothing significant happens until he ends his journey in Libya, right before the revolution begins to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi. Having a change in character, he joins the rebel army and is captured by the Libyan army. I won't give anymore away as it's an exciting watch. The story does continue though where Matthew eventually travels to Syria for their uprising against the government. He was very lucky though as he returned home right before ISIS started taking over and executing journalist. This documentary does a great job of showing how that current crisis came about. I really enjoyed this, as it's a great coming of age and adventure story. Below I've posted a short film by Matthew Vandyke, which could be used as a trailer for this.





The Blob
https://en.wikipedia...%281988_film%29

A 80s' horror film about a mysterious substance oozing out of a comet that just crashed into Earth. It has conveniently landed nearby a small remote rural town. The slime-like substance is latching onto people, dissolving and consuming them, and growing in size with every victim. It's up to an unlikely pairing of cheerleader and a kid from the wrong side of the tracks to save the town. Admittedly I had seen this before, probably about 15 years ago. I guess this is in line with what you expect from low budget 80s' horror films. It's not great, but it's not horribly bad either. It is unique and memorable though, I will give it that. However I wouldn't be in a hurry to put it on your to-watch list.




Noodle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noodle

An Israeli film I guess you could put in the drama/buddy-film/caper genre. It is a bit of a mix and match, but in a way that's what makes it great. Miri works as a flight attendant and comes home one day to greet her cleaner. The cleaner gets an urgent call and promises to be back in an hour, while Miri watches over her young son. Hours later the cleaner doesn't return. Not speaking the same language, Miri and the young boy can't really communicate to find out where he lives or even relay information about his mother. I don't want to give too much away, but this a very simple concept and does it really well. There are some great suspenseful moments in this and you really care about the characters. I would highly recommend it if you can manage to track down a copy.

9 Dragons
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770710/

Probably the only Indonesian movie I've seen. This tells the story of a hit-man who tries to turn his back on a life of crime after an unfortunate death of a friend. However, shaking his past is easier said than done. Interwoven into the main story is the struggle of his friends and family, being associated with someone who is providing murder for hire around the clock. Overall this is a watchable movie, but it was a bit slow in places; no doubt due the immaturity of the Indonesian film industry. Even finding the IMDB page for this movie was a challenge. This will be hard to track down and it probably isn't worth the effort.




The Killing
https://en.wikipedia...ling_%28film%29

A very early Stanley Kubrick film from the 50s. It's a short film and it gets straight to the point. This is a heist film where a collection of part time criminals come together to rob the race course during a big event. With race course employees being in on the heist, the criminals hope to steal the money while the authorities are distracted, and then smuggle the money off the premises without a trace. The only thing that could go wrong is everything. The employees are flaky, everything has to run like clockwork and other criminals are planning intervening and stealing the money once out of the race course. Unlike later Kubrick films, there aren't loose ends to ponder once the film is over. But it is a well made movie worth watching.




Screamers
https://en.wikipedia...%281995_film%29

A dystopian sci-fi film from the mid 90s. A nuclear apocalypse has occurred and AI machines are beginning to take over. Originally the UN and the Soviet Union were at war, but with such high casualties on both sides, the main fight is now against robots who patrol wastelands and mindless kill anything with a heartbeat. The plot here is that the Colonel in one army is trying to create a truce with the other, but first he must trek there, assuming that they're still alive. I can see what this movie was trying to achieve, and it's a great premise, but I think the budget held back the full film from being realised. Great potential plot points were skipped over to get to the next action scene. I wanted to know more about this universe, but so much was left untold. The movie is sort of a poor man's Terminator meets Star Wars. I'm sure others will like this, but personally I wanted to like it more.

Trainwreck
https://en.wikipedia...reck_%28film%29

The Amy Schumer movie that's been spammed all over the TV networks. Normally this would annoy me, and it still does a little, but at least this time it's for a legit comedy. Being a fan of Amy's comedy and TV show, I was looking forward to this as really click with her sense of humour. It was a bit puzzling why she got so much air time seeing her jokes aren't exactly family friendly. I guess this movie does fall in the rom-com category, but it's one of the few films that does it the right way; where both men and women can enjoy it. The plot is about Amy who has grown up without ever being able to maintain a stable relationship, influenced by her foul spoken, womanising, yet lovable dad. The potential love of her life falls into the picture, and she must learn to change her ways before it's too late. It may sound like a typical rom-com, but the story is only there to set up jokes and punch lines. Overall, the jokes land most of the time, and there were laughs constantly in the cinema beginning to end. My only criticism is that the last 20 minutes does drag on a bit and could have been a bit tighter. It's going to be hard to beat this as the best comedy of the year. I definitely recommend it.




Mystic River
https://en.wikipedia...iver_%28film%29

A very critically acclaimed movie, sweeping the Academy Awards, and directed by Clint Eastwood. This tells the story of 3 childhood friends who are involved in a child abduction and molestation incident. 28 years later, none keep in touch and one is clearly still affected by what happened when they were children. Jimmy's daughter has been murdered, and the close knit community are prematurely pointing fingers. That's all I can say without spoiling the plot. The problem with these highly rated movies is that I'm expecting a lot, and even if it lives up the hype, it feels like I've broken even as nothing is surprising. This is a very good movie, but I feel that it's a little overrated as well. If you like suspense thrillers, you'll definitely enjoy this.




Bigger Stronger Faster*
https://en.wikipedia...ronger,_Faster*

A documentary taking a look at the American sporting culture, where winning by any means is the norm. The asterisk in the title is referring to the asterisk used when someone is caught taking steroids. And the main topic of discussion is how influential steroids actually are in sports, how widely are they used and why are they demonised as they are seen as a miracle pill when prescribed medically. Narrated by Chris Bell, who has used in the past, he lets you see inside his family; 2 brothers, a powerlifter and a pro wrestler who also use. I was surprised to see so many fitness models and sporting athletes admit on camera they all take steroids. This documentary isn't trying to be pro-steroids, but it's giving a balanced view on why people take them and dispelling myths about their danger. An interesting watch if you're a sporting fan or someone who trains.

Have seen bigger stronger faster on Netflix been meaning to give it a watch

Yeah I only recently got Netflix, so been hammering the documentaries. Everyone on this forum will find Bigger Stronger Faster* an interesting watch.

SOMM
https://en.wikipedia...SOMM_%28film%29

A documentary I heard was worth watching due to the snobbery in wine culture. Not being a drinker and having no reference to anything that could possibly be discussed, I was banking on the director making fun of the people portrayed. Fortunately this was nothing like I was expecting. You follow 4 students who are about to sit their sommelier exam; apparently one of the hardest exams in the world where only 170 people have passed, ever. This involves knowing the theory of where wines are made in the world and all the distinctive qualities of the location. As well as blind tasting wines and picking up all the subtle elements. This documentary does something all great docs do, gets you invested in something you previously didn't care about. The obsession these guys display is a form of nerd that you're secretly jealous of. There are many tense moments that made this a great doc. I only wished they ended the doc 2 minutes early. There was such great build up to the ending, and then it came a little undone due to a follow up after filming.




Insidious
https://en.wikipedia...ious_%28film%29

It's been a while since I've seen a horror movie that I can really sink my teeth into, and I was hoping this would be one. I was wrong. The cheesy emotionless dialogue was so bad at the start that I thought I was watching a parody movie. It takes a good 30 minutes to get to any type of attempted scare, and then you're taken straight back out of the movie with really bad acting. The story is about a boy who is possessed by a demon. Yes, that old chestnut. I think the bar for horror movies these days is set very low and people aren't trying anymore. Just because teenagers hear a creek in the dark and see a child standing motionless, they think it's the scariest thing ever. Let's stop catering to the lowest common denominator when writing films. Horror movies should be written for horror fans, not retards that are easy to scare. I came very close to turning this off. I was amazed to see this did well at the box office and spawned 2 sequels.




Cocaine Cowboys 2
https://en.wikipedia...caine_Cowboys_2

A much anticipated documentary for myself after watching the original Cocaine Cowboys. The original told the story of Griselda Blanco, the Colombian Godmother who created a billion dollar empire by importing and dealing cocaine. The first doc finished with Blanco going to jail. This tells the story of Charles Cosby, a small time cocaine street dealer who saw the Blanco story on the news and wrote to her in jail. They develop a relationship and this kick starts Cosby's career as a kingpin of cocaine. This allows him to pick up where Blanco left off, generating millions within 6 months. Like most drug syndicates, things rarely end well for all parties involved, and soon there's deception. If you watched the first doc, this is just as good and fascinating. If you haven't seen the first, go do that right now.

[MENTION=15941]steveP[/MENTION]; lol hit the nail on the head with this heap of shit Insidious. I laughed during the movie, and this is coming from someone who gets proper spooked if the movie is done right.

I also don't get what is with with milleniumZ tweenies freaking out over the tiniest thing. I pick up a spider and they look at me like I am the spider. The heck??

steveP said:

Yeah I only recently got Netflix, so been hammering the documentaries. Everyone on this forum will find Bigger Stronger Faster* an interesting watch.

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Thanks for the suggestion, looks like an interesting show.

Dawg Fight
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1421361/

The latest documentary by Billy Corben, who directed the Cocaine Cowboys docs as well as How To Make Money Selling Drugs. Anything he makes, I'll watch, as it's always an interesting topic and he gets his hands dirty with people at the centre of what's being documented. This is no exception as he's shining the light on backyard street fighting. In a poor black neighbourhood of Florida, you get to learn the brief history of Da Da 5000 and his illegitimate fighting league. He claims he's getting people off the streets and giving them some structure, but the bare-knuckle fighting is crude and mostly ends in facial disfigurement. Because of this, the documentary doesn't have the best reviews, but this isn't a promo for backyard fighting, but a look into the lives of these people; whether you agree with it or not. As a MMA fan, the fighting is terrible in terms of technique and fighter safety, but the individual stories told in this are raw and memorable.




The Starving Games
https://en.wikipedia..._Starving_Games

A parody of The Hunger Games. It's been a while since I've seen a good parody, so I gave this a go, and it actually wasn't that bad. Basically all of the jokes are play on words or gags, such as the main character's name being Kantmiss Evershot. This follows the original first 2 movies nearly scene for scene. It does get a bit tiring towards the end, but it's mostly an entertaining ride. This has really bad reviews and I think this is because of 2 things; people don't understand parodies, and this being so over-the-top and silly kind of exposes the original for being just as pointless and campy. I wouldn't rush out and see this, but if you're after a bit of slapstick comedy and you're a fan of the original movie, you'll get a few good laughs.




Battle Royale
https://en.wikipedia...yale_%28film%29

Continuing with The Hunger Games theme, this is a little known Japanese film that originally kicked off the whole 'kids kill each other until one remains' genre. The premise is glossed offer quite fast at the start, as there is no believable explanation for this in real life, and the movie knows this. A class full of teenagers awake on a island designed for a tournament where the sole survivor will be allowed to leave. Very similar to The Hunger Games, the children are given basic supplies and must navigate dangerous zones, while trying to form alliances to help their individual survival. There are 40 students to begin with, so they start dying soon and often. There's a mix of computer nerds trying to take down the system, people committing suicide to avoid the inevitable, and blood-lusting psycho students. Being subtitled, some things didn't make much sense, and unfortunately the ending was one of them. Overall it's not a bad movie and just as entertaining as The Hunger Games, just with a little less polish.

Zeitgeist: The Movie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1166827/

I thought I would go on a binge watch of the Zeitgeist series. All I knew about the Zeitgeist "movement" before watching them were they are anti religion and pro conspiracy theory; and this movie certainly is that. The first topic addressed is how the symbolism of Jesus has been repeated and is predictable throughout human history, claiming that Jesus is a metaphor based on astrology rather than a person who actually lived. They do back this up with research. Part 2 is about the 9/11 conspiracy theory, and when this film was created (2007), it was a rather hotly debated topic. The last topic is about the American Federal Reserve bank and how the printing of money is manipulated to drive inflation and interest, which is an endless loop that can never actually be closed. This first movie, even with its low production value, has some interesting topics it puts forward and keeps you interested the whole time. I would recommend it if you're into this kind of stuff.




Zeitgeist: Addendum
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332128/

The second film in the series picks up directly where the last movie left off, almost on the exact same topic of fractional-reserve banking. In then takes a turn towards a vision of their utopian future. I guess the last movie got criticism for pointing out a lot of problems without giving any solutions. Other topics include the corruption of governments, conducting interviews with former "economic hitmen", and futurists explaining how transport and housing could work in an ideal society. I found this movie got a little preachy and mostly rehashed topics from the first film. I was hoping for some new conspiracy theories, but got none.




Zeitgeist: Moving Forward
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1781069/

The third movie in the series and the production value is just as cheap and nasty as the first. This follows the exact same formula as the first 2 films; title cards on a black background to get you up to speed on a topic, and then it goes on a 40 minute rant elaborating it. I found nothing here that hadn't already been addressed in the first 2 movies, and its running time is nearly 3 hours. This was a chore to get through. Maybe if I hadn't binged watched I might have been able to absorb more of the issues being addressed, but maybe not. Where the first movie was decent, the rest are on a sliding scale of bad to worse. I wouldn't bother with the last 2.

Boyz n the Hood
https://en.wikipedia...Boyz_n_the_Hood

A somewhat coming of age movie about black youths growing up in the ghetto of LA. The movie mainly focuses Trey's journey from child to adult as he goes to live with his father in a neighbourhood riddled with crime and gang activity. Luckily for Trey, his father provides clarity and wisdom in his life, unlike his friends with no family structure, and ultimately heading in a different direction. This movie felt a little like the black version of Stand By Me, and afterwards I found out that the director was a fan of the movie. This wasn't as hard and gritty as I was hoping, such as Training Day, but I guess that's what made this movie stand out. It's more about family values and setting people on the right path than just portraying gang violence. I would rate it just above average.




The Short Game
https://en.wikipedia.../The_Short_Game

A documentary about the lavish life of child golfers. The first thing that smacks you in the face is that this is a first-world sport for spoilt children, and that is certainly true. But once you get past that and have your whinge, it's actually a great documentary into a lifestyle that most people don't know about. The competition is broken up into age categories for each gender. Then the children play the game as normal, where the child with the least strokes win. Now just because these are pampered rich kids doesn't mean they can't play. Competition is fierce, along with controversy over some results. This was surprisingly entertaining the whole way through. I would definitely recommend this.




Safety Not Guaranteed
https://en.wikipedia..._Not_Guaranteed

A fleshed out realisation of a joke published in a "rural living" magazine about time travel. I know, movie studios are officially out of ideas now. However this is actually done quite well considering the premise. Basically, a magazine is trying to make a story out of classified ad, asking for someone to accompany them to travel back in time. A senior writer, more interested in catching up with old flames, brings 2 interns to cover the story. When the cocky writer fails at convincing Ken, "the time traveller", that he is suitable, the intern Darius wins him over. I was a little disappointed that this took so long to get into any technical plot points, if at all. If there was ever a movie made for hipsters, it would be this. This movie spends so much time avoiding the mainstream approach to time travel, which kind of works, but in the end it's not very satisfying. There are some plots twists or paradoxes if you look hard enough, but this isn't the point of the movie. This movie is for a certain audience and I think you'll know if that's you.

3:10 to Yuma
https://en.wikipedia...%282007_film%29

Being a fan of Westerns, I thought I was overdue for one. This is a remake of the 1950s' film, following the original story closely. The plot is about a crippled rancher hurting for money, who takes a job helping to escort a dangerous outlaw to prison. The group must fight off various hostile groups along the way, as well as the outlaw's gang. All the while the outlaw finds respect for the desperate rancher on a suicide mission. Despite the typical Hollywood production and big names in this, they pulled off a great movie. The bad guys are actually bad, and you don't know which way the story is going to go at each altercation. My only gripe is that Russell Crowe's character seemed too friendly from the beginning. As weird as it sounds, I would have liked to hate him before he tried to win me over. But this is a very good addition to the Western genre. I recommend it.




Virunga
https://en.wikipedia...unga_%28film%29

A documentary partly about the civil war within the Congo, and the team trying to protect the mountain gorillas and their natural resources. This has a similar feel to the documentary The Cove, where surveillance and undercover footage is used to expose the corruption plaguing the country. The Congolese army has set up a sanctuary for orphaned gorillas, and as you're introduced to the gorillas and the carers, the rebels start attacking the nearby town. In one of the most intense scenes I've seen in a documentary, you see the carers genuinely prepare to die as they guard the gorillas from the rebels and poachers. With documentaries like these, there is usually some type of closure or outcome at the end, but this is still and on-going issue in the Congo. This is a must watch for people who like these type of humanitarian docs.




Monsters
https://en.wikipedia...%282010_film%29

A movie that had decent ratings, so I continued my search for a great horror movie I could tell everyone about. This is set in the near distant future where space debris has landed on Earth, along with another form of live. The space life landed on the American-Mexico border, and has thrived. There is now a quarantine zone built around the aliens, but every now and then they escape. A photo journalist has the task of getting a woman from Mexico to America, the only problem is that all transport is closed for 6 months, and guess where they have to trek? Right from the beginning I could tell this missed the mark. The woman, who is engaged, is more concerned about the partying this single dude does, and throws a hissy fit, causing them to get into this predicament. Then it takes a good 30 minutes before there's even a sighting of a "monster" (which are just giant squids that would structurally collapse being the size they are). The movie was more concerned about the emotional connection of these two nobodies than being and actual monster/horror movie. Saying I was disappointed would be putting it nicely. This was trash.

Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!
https://en.wikipedia...of_Ozploitation!

A documentary about the low-budget B grade Australian movies of the 70s and 80s. Being quite into movies, I was surprised at how rich Australian cinema was, and how little I knew about these movies. This documentary got off the ground partly due to and stars Quentin Tarantino, a fan of "ozploitation". As this shows you an overview of the more famous titles, you can see where Tarantino has drawn inspiration from. The majority of this documentary goes through the timeline of better known ozploitation films and interviews the actors. Their stories of reckless stunts, hostile filming locations and crazy story lines are quite entertaining. This was a great trip back in time to see what Australian film used to be. I've already added a few movies to my list after watching this. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Tarantino style films.




Paths of Glory
https://en.wikipedia.../Paths_of_Glory

Another early Stanley Kubrick film, this time set during World War I, focusing on battle between the French and German army. Without ruining too much, it's nearing the end of WWI and each army has boarded up their trenches, so very little land has been gained by either side in a very long time. A General from the French army accepts a suicide mission to take a key location from the Germans to gain a promotion. It's estimated that 50% of the French troops will be killed, but the General merely sees this as statistics. When the attack goes ahead and it turns into a blood bath, the General order the artillery to fire on his own men or not leaving the trenches. Losing the battle, the General wants to execute some of the men to send a message. The rest of the movie is about a handful of men on death row, and their attempt for justice. I'm sure a premise such as this was far more relatable during the 50s, soon after the war. I guess we're all lucky to not have to live through such times, where human life was so invaluable, even within armed forces. If you're not into older movies, this might be a tedious watch, but powerful nonetheless.




La Haine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Haine

A French movie I've had on my list for a very long time. The title translates to "Hate" and follows 3 young men over a 24 hour period during civil unrest in France. The town they live in has turned into a police state, where walking down the street can turn into unprovoked interrogation and arrest. The 3 men, who have no jobs or clear future, navigate their city, running into drug dealers, Nazis, corrupt police and others similar to them trying to kill time. This is one of those movies where it sets up the premise quick and fast, so you're waiting for the main story to kick in, but it never does. The men don't do much other that get into arguments every 5 minutes with either each other or strangers. This is very highly rated, so maybe I'm not getting the French references or know about their civil war. People have said it gets better on repeat viewings though. For all the hype, I thought this was a bit average.

Gran Torino
https://en.wikipedia...iki/Gran_Torino

After not being that impressed by Eastwood's later work such as Blood Work and Unforgiven (call me crazy), I haven't really sought out any of his post 1990s films. This tells the story of a Korean War vet getting on in life. His wife has just died, the neighbourhood is being bought out by immigrant families, some bringing crime, and his family shows him no respect as they wait for him to die to inherit his house. Angry at the world with no one to turn to, he almost shoots dead a thief trying to steal his Gran Torino car. He later discovers it was a young Asian boy from next door being pressured by a gang. The two strike up an unlikely friendship and they both take on the gang threatening the neighbourhood. I don't know what I was expecting from this, but it really surprised me, especially the dry humour. Eastwood plays an elderly racist with a heart of gold really well. I remember thinking to myself half way through this movie that it's probably one of the best I've seen this year. It was entertaining, funny and meaningful. This is definitely a movie to add to your list.




Roadgames
https://en.wikipedia.../wiki/Roadgames

After watching the documentary on Ozploitation, I thought I'd check out some of the movies featured. Roadgames is probably one of the better known films, starring a young Jamie Lee Curtis, and being one of Tarantino's favourite and most influential films. The story is not very clear, and I guess that's just a trait of B grade movies. A serial killer preys upon female hitchhikers, who he then murders, disembowels and scatters their remains. Pat, a truck driver, indirectly witnesses a body being disposed of. Then along his delivery route, he unintentionally crosses paths with the serial killer. As the serial killer realises that Pat has seen too much, he turns his attention towards Pat, in a cat and mouse game across the Australian outback. It's kind of hard to judge these movies; as they're a bit disjointed and are full of plot holes, but in a way, that's why you watch them. In terms of being entertaining, it certainly was, except for the end which dragged on a bit.




Death Proof
https://en.wikipedia...iki/Death_Proof

After watching the above movie that influenced Tarantino, it only made sense to watch his homage to exploitation/slasher films. This tells the story of a crazed stuntman who stalks and murders women with his (for him) "death proof" car. The movie is told in 2 parts; firstly as Stuntman Mike being the aggressor and secondly where Stuntman Mike is on the run after the tables have turned. It kind of reminded me of From Dusk Till Dawn, where the left turn in the plot knocks the movie down from a good movie to an above average movie. This is very Tarantino where he uses long takes with intense dialog mixed with very real action/stunt scenes. What annoyed me a little was the forced ageing or rough cutting of the actual film. The movie is meant to look like it's from the 70s, but it's a little on the nose and distracts you from the actual movie. If you're a Tarantino fan, this is still worth the watch.

Room 237
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_237

A documentary I was really looking forward to as I like researching hidden meanings of films. The title of the documentary refers to the room number where the mysterious naked woman is seen during the movie The Shining. Ironically, the documentary explores a lot of theories or apparent hidden messages, except the woman in Room 237. The term "documentary" should be used loosely, as this is a collection voice overs from obsessed fans putting together the most abstract and nonsensical theories, usually based on continuity errors. You really have to reach far to even remotely see what these people are talking about, and it soon becomes clear these are just crazy people talking nonsense. This was confirmed by a producer who worked with Kubrick, stating that none of these theories were ever implemented in the movie. So in a way, this because a documentary/study on crazy people. This was a bit of a letdown and not worth seeing unless you're a massive Kubrick fan.




Winter's Bone
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter's_Bone

An early Jennifer Lawrence film where she plays a hillbilly teenager trying to keep her family from being homeless. Living in the sticks in an old farmhouse, Ree's mother has a mental disability, she has to look after two younger siblings and her father has gone missing. He worked with shady people in meth labs; the police locked him up, he was bailed out and has been missing for a while. Ree assumes the worst, that her father has been murdered. Accepting this fate as the townspeople try to sweep it under the rug, Ree must prove to authorities that her father is dead, so they don't take the family house under the bail conditions. This is a slow and nuanced movie, opposed to most of Lawrence's movies, which is a breath of fresh air, but I feel that a lot of the story, particularly the characters' back stories were glossed over and left unexplained. This would have been great as a TV mini-series.




The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
https://en.wikipedia...E2%80%93_Part_2

Another Jennifer Lawrence movie, the latest and final Hunger Games instalment. I kind of tuned out and lost interest in these movies when they stopped actually doing the hunger game tournaments, hence the title. I know these are based on novels, but the last two movies shouldn't have been split. The plot moves along so slowly that I forgot what even happened at the beginning of the movie. The film series needed to be tighter in story telling so you're on the edge of your seat, not yawning and asking what just happened. In terms of the actual movie, it's definitely of the same quality of the others in the series and I'm sure fans will still enjoy it. For me the whole series took the wrong direction, where the story is about a brutal totalitarian government, yet it's PG rated so you never actually see blood. Save yourself 10 hours with all the instalments and just watch Battle Royale, which is far more memorable.

Wow. You've watched all these Movies [MENTION=15941]steveP[/MENTION]; ?

I couldn't even watch Creed on the weekend let alone some of those other ("average looking") Movies you've reviewed. You obviously like your Movies.

Yeah, I've watched them all. Been doing it for years now. There have been a lot of average movies I've seen, but also some gems I would have missed. Some of my favourite movies of all time I found by accident.

I used to be able to watch 3-4 a week, but just don't have the time lately.

I get a lot of my movie recommendations from movie podcasts I listen to.