Thought this one was appropriate for today's events :D
It's on Netflix and quite funny

Following the above I watched yet another that seemed somewhat fitting for the occasion

hah! curious about it

in this one too a nice old man kills an orange monster after a great struggle and becomes chief wizard as a consequence

Better Off Dead
Idle Hands

It's certainly not an Oscar contestant, but definitely enjoyable. I always find it difficult to watch movies that are in a language I don't understand, this one is pretty easy to follow despite the Italian language. And it has Janis Joplin in the soundtrack :cool:
It's a bit like Naked Gun

I watched Palm Springs on Hulu.
That was pretty good.

I also watched This is 40 and King of Staten Island last week. Good stuff from Judd Apatow. Mostly good, anyway.

Been on an old western fix atm. Films I feel like I should have seen earlier I think.



Winchester '73
Straight after watching it I really enjoyed it. However after thinking about it the past few days my opinion's dulled a bit more. Don't get me wrong James Stewart is as brilliant as ever, but the story felt a bit more convoluted than it needed. Maybe that was the point. Plus the final battle scene felt a tad tacked on.



Ride Lonesome
This is actually my first Randolph Scott film. A little over a year ago my Granddad died. The relationship between my Dad and him (and Gran) was incredibly fractured so I hadn't seen them in nigh on 20 years. I decided to go see him knowing he was in a bad way. We eventually got talking about westerns and he said that Randolph Scott was his absolute favourite western actor. You don't see many people these days say that. I mentioned that I'd go round to his and we could watch one and he seemed keen on the idea. As it is he died not long after that. Shame really cos this was a great watch and one that would have also been great to watch with him. It doesn't mess about with any flab that's for sure. Story is told within the first three minutes and we're away on a story of manly men doing manly things.



Ox-Bow incident
Another tight western that doesn't have any flab. 1hr 15 all in. The storyline of a lynch mob aiming to hang three men for the murder of a ranch owner is pretty heavy. The whole film has probably four sets in all which helps with the feeling of claustrophobia in the plot. The role of Henry Fonda trying to get the prisoners off a death sentence is something he'd go back to in 12 Angry Men but he played this one off a lot more subtly. Great film.



The Man From Laramie
Another James Stewart but I enjoyed this one a lot more than Winchester. The story of all family feuding and cattle ranching was pure escapism. Perfect for watching on the the dank and miserable nights we're having.

young fronkensteen. classic!

was feeling a bit yo-ho so I watched the first Pirates of the Caribbean on Disney+. May watch through the rest soon enough

Fair. It'a a classic for the way it introduces greater psychological complexity into the genre but it's not without its faults. Definitely agree about the tacked on nature of the final battle and the love-interest angle always feels like a distraction. I love the tournament scene at the beginning, though, where Stewart wins the rifle, and the one with the gun trader. Plus it's Anthony Mann, so lots of great exterior shots.

Blackkklansman
Damn good.

My favorite Steven Spielberg movie, one of his most underrated.

The 2nd best vampire movie of the 80s, right behind "Fright Night": Near Dark.

Very cool movie, especially since it was Clooney's debut as a director. Great casting, I really liked Drew Barrymores acting.




Didn't find it as thrilling as The Guardian. It is shot in amateurish documentary style which gets a bit annoying

Any really good movies that came out this year? I feel like 2020 can just about declare creative bankruptcy as well. Looking forward to "Mank" and "Soul" next month, oh and there's a Frances McDormand movie I forgot the name of that looks promising, that's just about the extent of the movies I look forward to right now. Anyone know any hidden gems that shine brightly amid one turd of a year? I'd love to know.

So no recommendations? Alright, a shit year for movies it is.

i don’t watch new movies necessarily and don’t keep up with the trends.

but recently rented 1917 (made what year?) and it was beautifully done.

also the new terminator (last year’s?) with the old cast/timeline was a blast.

and “blow the man down” was a small very nice indie.

i haven’t yet seen greta gerwig’s “little women” but i’m looking forward to it.

also the new borat, ha ha ha... im my queue.

and... curious about “get duked!” trailer appeared funny, queued as well

^ Except for the new Borat movie, all of them came out last year. 2019 was actually a very solid year when it comes to movies (just finally got around to watching Knives Out two months ago). But this year, no doubt due to the many Covid-related delays, there's been an influx of quick cashgrabs and mediocre streaming service originals.

I think when push comes to shove, I'll watch the Borat sequel. But it's not necessarily what I'm craving right now. Looking for those really stunning, artsy features that make you appreciate the craft of moviemaking. Each year usually has about a handful of those (subjective opinion of course), but this year, there's hardly been anything I'm really looking forward to. Pixar's "Soul" being the sole exception (And I added "Mank" to that list recently, even though I wasn't so impressed with Fincher's later work). I thought there may be a lot I've missed and it's kind of hard to filter them out right now.

Well, maybe I'll discover a few gems after the fact. Borat 2 seems perfectly fine, but it's more something I'll watch for other reasons than the craft of filmmaking or the intricate plot/character development. It's more a tragicomical display of the abyss that is real life through the lense of a straight-faced comedic devil's advocate.