I Just Watched (Films)

[Mantis]

We finally got round to watching The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent last night.

As someone who's always had a soft spot for Nic Cage's manic overacting and having seen most of his classic 90s/00s movies, I didn't really know what this was about going in other than that it featured a bromance between Cage and Pedro Pascal.

Oh boy, I have not laughed like that at a film in ages. It might actually be the best movie Cage has ever made. It features Cage playing himself as a washed up actor and is so hilariously meta about his career with references to older Cage movies snuck in all over the place. The movie itself demonstrates a comic self awareness too with the way it sets everything up.

Cage gets the chance to play the serious actor, the action star and with a measured dose of that utterly insane energetic overacting thrown in on top at times as the plot moves between genres with each act. It's just really cleverly written and Cage and Pascal play off each other perfectly. Pedro is just brilliant in it.

I would recommend it as a top class comedy even if you weren't particularly versed in Cage's past films. But as a fan who will see all the little nods and references it's all the more entertaining.

[Animalmother]

Must have a look at that, sounds like a hoot.

The Predator
I've somehow managed to avoid watching this due to the massively negative response it got. First off it is garbage and utterly forgettable, but not as bad as I was expecting. I'd put it on the same level as the AvP films.

What's good...the practical effects where used are great, the predator himself looks amazing striding around murdering with wild abandon. It's pretty gory and there's some entertaining kills. It's surprisingly funny in places, the predator using a severed arm to give a thumbs up made me laugh.

What's bad... pretty much everything else. The main actor is an utterly unlikeable knob end, none of the presence or charisma of Arnie or Glover. The entire cast is miscast to be fair, mostly good actors in a bad film. Everyone is constantly making wisecracks always, it never fucking stops. The CGI is just plain shite, unacceptable for an 2017 film. The story is all over the place and never settles in a good one. One of the biggest sins is a child character in an R rated action horror, it removes any tension as you know nothing will happen to him.

It's worth a look if only to see all the predator films at least once but as mentioned, very forgettable.

The main actor is the guy who plays The Corinthian in the Sandman tv show, same unpleasant energy funnily enough.

[Achtung Englander]

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Compared to the Mario movie, this was miles better. The imagination and story telling was excellent. I liked the fact they mixed up CGI for 2.5D style animation in some scenes, it really worked.

Definitely worth re-seeing

7/10

[Sly Boots]

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish

Compared to the Mario movie, this was miles better. The imagination and story telling was excellent. I liked the fact they mixed up CGI for 2.5D style animation in some scenes, it really worked.

Definitely worth re-seeing

7/10

Yeah, saw it with my girls, they enjoyed it and I was pleasantly surprised

[Lenny Solidus]

Creed III

Basically the equivalent of a Rocky type movie being rapidly scanned at a supermarket checkout, everything and I do mean everything is absurdly rushed. I actually love the premise of a one time close friend taking the heat for something and his reasoning for feeling as though Adonis lived the life he should have lead was very well done, the anticipation level for a slow burn rivalry to spark was very high -

Spoiler

and then before you know it this old friend who only just got back into the swing of boxing again is fucking back on top. I'm sorry but what?

A single scene set on a beach where Damien suddenly acts like a complete ahole is all we really get - all that transpires from someone quite literally taking an old friend in and looking after them giving them support to hey fuck you, now its my turn to take it all. Its so very rushed it ends up having zero impact.

Yes the slow motion anime inspired action sequences are quite good but overall what should have been an amazing final bell for an otherwise decent trilogy was too hurried to reach the finish and absolute pales in comparison to every single Rocky movie, yep even the one with Tommy Gunn in it. So very disappointing because Majors especially is a commanding presence in every scene but his character is given nothing to work with whatsoever. It's all shove it forward to a climax and no real earned pay off like a true Rocky inspired movie should be.

4 out of 10.

Ding Ding? No. More like Ding Dung.

[Raid]

Nobody appeared on Netflix this week. It's good, very good in places (it has a particularly excellent final kill). The problem is that it always feels like it's trying to be John Wick, but it lacks that film's refinement and worldbuilding. 80+ year-old Chris Lloyd looks like he's having the best time, but I can't help but feel Bob Odenkirk's acting chops are a little underused.

[Solitaire]

Soli, have you ever seen Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House? One of my favourite films, let alone Grant films. The Money Pit was based on it (although not as good).

No, I haven't seen a single frame of that one, never heard of it. I'll root around for it! There's Myrna Loy, as well, which brings me to my last (I promise) post on Cary Grant movies:

The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer

This is another favorite of mine. It's a romantic comedy, and there's plenty of wholesome laughs, with Grant and Loy's impeccable comedic timing driving the movie. There's Shirley Temple as well, all grown up and playing a teen who becomes quickly infatuated with Grant - but he has other plans, as he starts courting her sister, Myrna Loy, a judge in town. But there's a young man who's trying desperately to retain the attention of Temple so is infuriated with Grant, and an Assistant District Attorney who's infuriated that Grant is paying attention to his love interest, Loy. It's an all-around riot, with everyone chasing each other, fist-fights, and lots of silliness.

[eny]

The Furnace
Prime

There are many exceptional Australian historical "Westerns", this is one of them. I will not spoil any of it, but do watch it. Outstanding.

[Animalmother]

X
Well that was different...
A group go to rural Texas in 1979 to film a porno. The elderly couple who own the farm ain't exactly normal. Brutal murder ensues.
Very enjoyable and a total throwback to Texas Chainsaw Massacre and suchlike. There's a prequel that's supposed to be great and a sequel out next year.

Also had a look at Nope. Much like everyone else on here that's seen it, I enjoyed the first half then it just kind of fizzles out in the second half. But I still enjoyed and would say it's worth a look.

Spoiler

the creature is a fucking parachute type thing and isn't scary at all. That chimp was unsettling though.

[Achtung Englander]

Pearl is pretty good. The ending is great.

[Animalmother]

Renfield
Worth a watch just see Nicolas Cage ham it up as Dracula, otherwise a bit of a damp fart. Starts off as pretty fun as we see Dracula meet Renfield in a parody of the 1931 film. Reinfield as Dracula's familiar has to bring victims to feed his master. He can get super strength by eating insects, but doesn't take on any of their attributes which is a real missed opportunity. Cage is a hoot but is barely in the film. Otherwise it's a very run of the mill horror comedy with some hilarious OTT gore.

[Achtung Englander]

North by Northwest

I finally got to see this from beginning to end. Its always on telly and I always miss it. I have seen the air dusting plane scene hundreds of times on film analysis and documentaries. The film is just a tad too long and in some scenes it has not dated well but it is very much a Hitchcock thriller with some amazing set pieces and music. The colour palette is drop dead gorgeous (bought it on Blu Ray). I do love the technicolour sets that they used for outside scenes. It looks so fake but so utterly cool at the same time. It was enjoyable but it could of benefited from being 15 min shorter.

7/10

La Moustache (Prime)

A great premise about someone who is losing his mind but was spoiled by becoming too confusing and wee bit too French for my liking.

5/10

[Alan]

The Strays
A light skinned black woman flees her life to play white suburban woman but her past catches up. There is a kernel of a good idea here but it does nothing with it. Characters turn on a dime and it just ends with no real ending other than a, I guess, a gag?

[Animalmother]

13th Warrior
Utterly panned when released and was a massive box office bomb. But it's not half bad for what it is. It cost a fuck ton of money to make and that's visible on the screen. Hundreds of costumed extras on horseback milling around in the distant background. Apart from a crap blue screen boat voyage the effects are almost entirely practical and pretty good. Severed heads and gouts of blood go flying with much abandon. Worth a gander.

[Animalmother]

Sisu
Finnish movie set at the end of WW2. A gold prospector runs into a group of retreating Nazis in Lapland and laugh out loud ultra violence ensues. There are gibbed German's flying in all directions and brutal takedowns aplenty. Very much in the grindhouse style and bloody good fun.

Kingsman The Secret Service
Been a while since I last watched and it's still great fun. The church scene has got to go down as one of the best action sequences ever in a film full of hilarious action. Great use of music and just a blast from start to finish.

Kingsman The Golden Circle
Proof that the formula doesn't always work. A bit of a mess this one. Still enjoyable but it all feels a bit forced and just doesn't land very well. The action is just a nuts as the first film but not as fresh anymore. The villain is also terrible.