Movie opinions thread (what have you seen, what did you think?)

[NeoSneth]

Project Hail Mary

Didn't know about the book. Avoided all trailers.
Solid Feel good sci-fi movie. I get the impression I'm watching an adapted anime. The plot is the big bad which I liked.
I understand the praise. There's some difficult decisions that had my wife and I debating our personal choices in the given challenges.
Certainly helps that I'm a molecular biologist as well.

 

[prof]

Project Hail Mary

Didn't know about the book. Avoided all trailers.
Solid Feel good sci-fi movie. I get the impression I'm watching an adapted anime. The plot is the big bad which I liked.
I understand the praise. There's some difficult decisions that had my wife and I debating our personal choices in the given challenges.
Certainly helps that I'm a molecular biologist as well.

Man, I didn't even know this was made into a movie. I got the book in an airport giftshop last year since it looked interesting for a long flight. And it was a great read. Looking forward to seeing how they portray Rocky on the big screen.

 

[HornheaDD]

Im about 40% of the way through the book. Trying to avoid anything with the movie, which is tough because everyone is friggin talking about it.

But as far as I am, and havent seen the movie yet, I have to admit I think Ryan Gosling might have been a perfect casting. The protagonist acts a lot like he does in different roles, its weird. Looking forward to finishing the book so I can check out the movie.

 

[terry.330]

Tank Girl- I’m a big fan of the original Hewlett and Martin comics but I didn’t get into them unit years after having seen the movie and this was my first time watching the movie since then. Honestly it’s pretty cringe in comparison and the comics are already intentionally cringe. However it’s so unabashedly 90’s and loud and stupid and random I can’t help but like it. I just don’t think the comics are the type of thing that could ever be done properly in live action. The comics have a very specific chaotic slacker vibe to them. This is far more manic. Which leads to the biggest problem: it just feels like it’s trying too hard.

I totally forgot that Naomi Watts played Jet Girl. Lori Petty as Tank Girl looks the part but they really dialed her being annoying up to 11. Malcolm McDowell as the bad guy is pretty entertaining and we also get appearances from James Hong and Iggy Pop.

The animated sequences while cool just make me think how awesome an animated Tank Girl movie could be. Also the soundtrack is pretty solid with Bjork, Portishead, L7, Richard Hell and a bunch of other surprisingly good stuff.

I don’t know, it a weird movie and it’s honestly kind of hard to rate it objectively. Looking back it’s hard to believe it actually got made.

 

[Tarma]

Wedding Crashers - classic comedy from the mid-00s when Vince Vaughn was at the top of his game.

Would have liked to have seen more from Chris Walken and Stephanie Seymour, but overall, it still holds up well as a silly but entertaining comedy.

If you've ever wanted to see Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman have her breasts fondled by Owen Wilson, then this is the film for you.

 

[Tarma]

Zero Tolerance - great mindless action film from PM Entertainment starring Robert Patrick as an FBI agent out for revenge against the drug cartel who murdered his wife and kids.

That's the entire setup and as a piece of "switch off brain, stare at TV for 90 minutes" it works very well. The action comes along thick and fast, we never linger too long on any one scene, it just does its job of getting through its silly plot in an entertaining and as efficient way as possible.

If you've ever wanted to see Robert Patrick destroy half the Vegas strip with a double barrel shotgun that never needs reloading, then this is the film for you.

If you've ever wanted to see Robert Patrick drive a police cruiser through a helicopter, then this is also the film for you.

 

[HornheaDD]

The Fifth Element

"Its like Star Wars, for the 90s!"

No, it wasn't. Though it *is* better than Star Wars from the 90s. A great and fun movie with a lovely early 20s Milla Jovovich. Bruce Willis at the height(ish) of his career, Ian Holm before Bilbo and Gary gott-dang Oldman playing one of my favorite movie villains of all time right next to Stansfield. Humor, action, FX that still look pretty decent, somehow a cool score/soundtrack and Chris Tucker screaming falsetto the entire time.

Weird that someone like Luke Perry would have such a small role in it. Wasn't he super popular around that time?

I remember taking my wife - then girlfriend - to the movies to watch it with her, fully intent on making out but she was too involved with the movie, as was I. It all worked out in the end.

 

[LoneSage]

He was popular at the time, but only TV popular.

 

[terry.330]

He’s also in the Buffy movie.

 

[HornheaDD]

He’s also in the Buffy movie.

Ive actually never seen the movie, or an episode of the show. Wife likes the movie tho.

 

[Tarma]

Under the Gun - low budget Aussie martial arts flick starring Richard Norton.

This has a very convoluted plot, but it doesn't take itself too seriously, fortunately. Acting is a bit wooden in places, but the fight scenes are really good, and Norton's charisma keeps you going along for the ride. It's not without its issues - one of the main characters gets killed about half-way through the film, and then no one seems to realize she's gone until literally the last 30 seconds of the movie.

Probably a film for die hard Richard Norton fans, but I found it entertaining. Go in with super low expectations, and you might find yourself enjoying it by the end.

If you've ever wanted to see Richard Norton kick someone's ass after deliberately setting his feet on fire, then this is the film for you.

 

[Tarma]

The Hit List - thriller about a professional hit man (Jeff Fahey) who begins to think he's being double crossed by his latest client (Yancy Butler).

This is a decently made flick, with a slightly convoluted plot, but the acting and direction are good, and it's well shot for the most part.

If you've ever wanted to learn how a hitman can drive around LA "covertly" in a bright-blue Mitsubishi 3000GT, then this is the film for you.

 

[Tarma]

Death Ring - So you see a poster for a film that's headlining: "Norris, Swayze, McQueen" - at first glance you might think that's an impressive roster of actors for some kind of action packed thriller. Well. You'd be wrong.

The Norris, Swayze, and McQueen of this movie are Mike, Don, and Chad respectively, and unfortunately, Mike is bland as fuck, Don only turns up for the last 15 minutes, and Chad is reduced to a supporting role where he doesn't get a lot of action.

However, we do get a great villain in Billy Drago, in this light retread of "The Most Dangerous Game".

This is more of a straight forward thriller, so do not expect lots of gun fights, fancy stunts, and explosions, compared with some of the other takes on the original source material.

Death Ring clocks in at a tight 90 minutes and gets its job done efficiently. Drago and McQueen keep the whole thing entertaining, I just would have liked a little more action.

If you've ever wanted to see Mike Norris decapitate someone in a katana duel, then this is the film for you.

 

[Taiso]

He’s also in the Buffy movie.

If Fami were still around, he'd probably tell us all that Luke Perry was a nazi bigot and a rapist.

Also, his kid is the pro wrestler 'Jungle' Jack Perry in AEW so likely guilty by association.

 

[100proof]

In the Grey - Guy Ritchie movie that came out this weekend that almost flew completely under my radar. Henry Cavill and Jake Gyllenhall are two mercs that work for a hot lady that collects debts from people who are very hard to collect debts from. They plot an elaborate scheme to collect the billion dollar debt from a tinpot dictator and his weasely lawyer (played by Fisher Stevens). There's a LOT of planning, a few shootouts and explosions and some fun buddy-buddy bantering.

It's nothing worth writing home about and the action is half-baked and not particularly well-shot but there aren't nearly enough of these kinds of movies out there these days (medium-sized budget action movies where the stakes aren't the entire universe). It reminds me a lot of the Den of Thieves movies from the last couple of years (competent guys performing a mission with the occasional hiccup and double-cross). By no means up there with Guy Ritchie's best but a workmanlike action movie. Watch it on streaming if you're bored on a Sunday.

 

[terry.330]

Maximum Overdrive- He can blame the cocaine all he wants but we both know Stephen King thought this was an awesome idea and he was in full control of making it. While it is a uniquely terrible movie there is some fun to be had with it.

Machines coming “alive” and turning on humans isn’t a bad idea but the way it’s handled is so stupid, illogical and weird it just makes you scratch your head. It also has some of the worst dialogue ever, every character is a yokel moron that never shuts up. I would assume a lot of it is improvised but it‘s too awkward for that, it has to have been written that way.

Being an embarrassing mess aside there’s a weird charm to it. Also a good amount of humor, though mostly unintentional. Plus a lot of stuff blows up and gets smashed. The AC/DC soundtrack also helps kick it up a notch or two.

DUMB in all caps fun.

 

[HornheaDD]

Project Hail Mary

Finished the book this afternoon, and while not a "woah that was one of the best sci-fi books Ive read" like the Three Body series, its still a really fun and enjoyable read. Recommended for you readers if you haven't yet.

The movie is nearly beat for beat on the book. Thats one thing that has always irked me about movies. I get that some things may not work visually as well as they do in print, sure. But when there are wild/drastic changes, its like "why? the template is right there, just use the book. Thats what got this movie made, the popularity and story of the source material!"

Welp, these cats apparently have been listening and made very very minor changes to the story that actually do work. One 'big' event is removed entirely but it actually does make sense and doesn't detract from the story in any way.

Great movie based on a great book. Definitely check it out.

 

[Tarma]

Excessive Force - solid action thriller with Thomas Ian Griffith as a cop out to find the people who framed him for $3m that goes missing during a drug bust.

There's nothing original here, but the acting is good, the action is good, direction is on point, and it has a great cast that also features Lance Henriksen, Tony Todd, Burt Young, and James Earl Jones.

Shame this was a flop at the box office, as TIG can act and kick ass, and should have gone on to better things.

If you've ever wanted to see Burt Young kill someone by stabbing a pen through their ear, then this is the film for you.

 

[Tarma]

No Escape - sci-fi thriller with Ray Liotta, Lance Henriksen, Ernie Hudson, and Stuart Wilson. Directed by Martin "Goldeneye" Campbell.

Liotta is an ex-soldier imprisoned on an island for murdering his CO. The island is home to other criminals, that have split into two factions, that, of course, often clash.

Had been curious about this one for a long time, and that might have set my expectations a little higher than they should have been. Liotta's character just didn't have the energy needed to lift this flick... sure, it's fine to play a character who is jaded by the system, but at least show some motivation toward beating it.

It's well directed, well shot, got some great sets, and Stuart Wilson chews the scenery as Marek (the main villain), but I can't help but think with a more action orientated lead and a slightly bigger budget, this could have really stood out.

Maybe it gets better on repeat viewings.

If you've ever wanted to see a movie where the distributor to a Chevy big block V8 is a major plot device, then this is the film for you.

 

[terry.330]

Maybe it gets better on repeat viewings.

I remember being really into the movie as a kid. It kind of tied into the whole running around in the woods and building tree forts phase.

i watched it again a couple years ago and was pretty disappointed. In my mind it was a mix of Escape from NY, Mad Max and Last of the Mohicans. The reality is that it’s more like Waterworkd.

 

[Tarma]

Don't get me wrong, I think Ray Liotta is (was) a great actor, but I can't help but feel this was totally the wrong role for him. It needed someone who was a bit more athletic - it could have been a good JVCD or Wesley Snipes vehicle, or maybe even Michael Dudikoff or Chuck Norris... although, I doubt either of the latter would have had the pulling power the executives would have wanted... mind you, it was still a commercial failure with Liotta headlining.

 

[terry.330]

If you want a shlocky movie where Liotta is properly used and gets to chew some scenery check out Turbulance. He’s legitimately terrifying in it.

 

[dollfucker+]

Project Hail Mary

Didn't know about the book. Avoided all trailers.
Solid Feel good sci-fi movie. I get the impression I'm watching an adapted anime. The plot is the big bad which I liked.
I understand the praise. There's some difficult decisions that had my wife and I debating our personal choices in the given challenges.
Certainly helps that I'm a molecular biologist as well.

was going to watch this soon. is it just good compared to recent slop or actually good?

 

[HornheaDD]

was going to watch this soon. is it just good compared to recent slop or actually good?

Actually good.

 

[dollfucker+]

Actually good.

ok good. I shoulda asked this before buying the $25 digital copy.