The Official Last Movie You Saw Thread (Part 2)

[Catatonic]

The Witch sucked. Recently gave it a re-watch, and ugh. I rate horror movies on their ability to entertain me, and this movie was a slog. It looked pretty and it was obviously made with care, but I found next to no entertainment value in it. Sucks.

This statement is fascinating and baffling to me.

The Walking Dead remains the worst drama on television, at least as far as popularity-to-quality ratio is concerned.

At least we agree on this.

[Wonderstruck]

Caught Rogue One on Saturday morning, and I loved it. Star Wars will always have divisive opinions, but I couldn't have asked for more. Slow start, but the payoff made it work. Taking my oldest tomorrow morning for an encore.

Also, Alan Tudyk as K2SO is just...man, that guy has some talent. Love how he is implemented into all of these Disney flicks.

Will also be seeing Passengers on Wednesday and Fences next week. Fun season of movie watching.

[KCKUKFan]

Hacksaw Ridge - This was a great movie with some of the most brutal battle scenes I've ever seen committed to film. The first half was earnest, almost to a fault, to the point where it felt like a 50s movie. We find out that that gentle relic of a start was only set-up for a second and third act where there were no holds barred. A fascinating true story and a tale of human courage, sacrifice and bravery. Great movie. Say what you will about Mel Gibson the human being, to say nothing of his God complex and his fascination with brutality, torture and gore, but he makes movies worth seeing.

Manchester By The Sea - A long, painfully depressing film about loss, regret and grief. This is up for a bunch of awards and is getting great reviews, but aside from the sterling performances and beautiful Massachusetts scenery, I didn't find a whole lot to love about this movie. Casey Affleck plays a sad sack Boston janitor who has to move back to his hometown of Manchester, Mass. to care for his newly deceased brother's teenage son. As the film progresses, we find out what led a fun-loving father of three turn into such a rancid prick, and (sort've spoiler alert), it's something that would jade the heart of any man. Absolutely pulverizing. Affleck has mastered the quiet, frustrated New England everyman, and Michelle Williams and Kyle Chandler (coach on "Friday Night Lights") add plenty of acting pedigree in supporting roles, but the movie left me cold. First off, it was LONG, clocking in at two and half hours. Second, the teenager was almost unbearably awful. Third, none of the characters progressed much over the course of the film, if at all. Everybody was just sort of at a stalemate by the end. Usually I'm with the critics on most things, but not this. Misery porn of the highest order.

Rogue One - Fine for what it was; I'm just not a big "Star Wars" guy. This was probably a better movie than "The Force Awakens," if more low-key.

Office Christmas Party - Meh. Skip.

[TrueblueCATfan]

Collateral Beauty.......Forgot just how awesome of an actor Will Smith is......powerful movie......went to see this one by myself

[KCKUKFan]

Collateral Beauty.......Forgot just how awesome of an actor Will Smith is......powerful movie......went to see this one by myself

This one got absolutely ravaged by the critics and audience scores alike, so I figured it would be hideously awful.

I, for one, am tired of Will Smith chasing awards in mediocre Oscar bait. Here's hoping he goes back to the big, stupid summer blockbusters where he belongs.

[Catatonic]

This one got absolutely ravaged by the critics and audience scores alike, so I figured it would be hideously awful.

I, for one, am tired of Will Smith chasing awards in mediocre Oscar bait. Here's hoping he goes back to the big, stupid summer blockbusters where he belongs.

Well, he did appear in Suicide Squad not too long ago. Movies don't come much stupider than that.

[KCKUKFan]

Well, he did appear in Suicide Squad not too long ago. Movies don't come much stupider than that.

Oh, yeah. How forgetful of me.

[Old School]

I went to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

I loved it.

I think I enjoyed it more than any movie I've seen since childhood.

[Spiritof96]

Saw Rogue One...

I enjoyed the experience, but as so often happens with me and modern movies as I thought about it I like it less and less. It is literally the most expensive piece of fan fiction ever produced and that isn't a good thing.

Some thoughts.

1. I admire the risks taken with the creative decisions regarding certain character arcs. I think those risks were stupid in the context of this franchise.

2. The script (story and dialogue) was about one notch below return of the Jedi and that is not a good thing. Can't writers watch Star Wars and Empire and sort out how dialogue and story works in these movies?

3. I liked one male CGI character that most people seem to dislike in this movie

4. They did a masterful job recreating the original trilogy world

5. The story should have been set and ended several weeks earlier in Star Wars time than it does. It would make more sense even if sacrificing more "fan service" Further, a particular person and ship being involved in the final battle makes NO SENSE and alters the original story stupidly.

6. Famous bad guy's voice and costume were seriously screwed up... other laser and sound effects too. (I am an audiophile what can I say?) It isn't an issue with the actor, it is an effects problem, were recordings of the SW and Empire not available as a reference?

7. The trailer looked more iconic and interesting to me than the movie that cut most of those scenes.

8. I typically find fan service a little tedious (and poorly done in Episode VII) I enjoyed it for the most part as it was a touch more seamless.

9. Despite how dumb it was in the context of the larger story, the final act of violence in the movie was really fun


I so want Star Wars movies to be good; but there have been eight of them now and most are only good in a nostalgic sense.

1. Star Wars is fantastic.

2. Empire is fantastic.

3. Return of the Jedi is ok

4. The Force Awakes is beautifully done, uncreative in terms of main threat and at times stupid (soft reboots are lame)

5. Rogue One is beautifully done and fatally flawed on multiple levels

6. The Phantom Menace is tragically disappointing

The other two prequels don't exist in my world.... Disney could re-do all three prequels without complaint from me.


YMMV.
May the script doctor be with you.
Han shot first and only
Midi-chlorians don't exist

[Wonderstruck]

I went for Round 2 of Rogue One yesterday with my oldest and I enjoyed it just as much the first time around. It's just very well-made and a lot of fun. I would absolutely disagree that it's a "fan-service" film. I would give that special nod to The Force Awakens.

I don't know, I think I'm just more of a naturally optimistic movie watcher. I tend to like most of the things I watch and tend to criticize very little, and I think we live in a time where it's super easy to tear everything apart. It's why I thought Collateral Beauty was great, while, as stated above, it was crushed by critics. It just hit me at the right time with the right notes. I thought the performances were charming, and the story was thoughtful.

But back to R1, there's just not much more I can ask for. I enjoyed the story, I thought the characters were memorable, I enjoyed the action, and I thought the ending was just plain great.

[Spiritof96]

I went for Round 2 of Rogue One yesterday with my oldest and I enjoyed it just as much the first time around. It's just very well-made and a lot of fun. I would absolutely disagree that it's a "fan-service" film. I would give that special nod to The Force Awakens.

I don't know, I think I'm just more of a naturally optimistic movie watcher. I tend to like most of the things I watch and tend to criticize very little, and I think we live in a time where it's super easy to tear everything apart. It's why I thought Collateral Beauty was great, while, as stated above, it was crushed by critics. It just hit me at the right time with the right notes. I thought the performances were charming, and the story was thoughtful.

But back to R1, there's just not much more I can ask for. I enjoyed the story, I thought the characters were memorable, I enjoyed the action, and I thought the ending was just plain great.

I am aware that I am criticizing a pretty enjoyable science fiction movie for not being the best ever. By modern standards R1 is really good.

[Joneslab]

I really liked The Force Awakens. One of the rare movies I actually paid for a second time in the theater. Looking forward to Rogue One.

Love Star Wars because the world Lucas created is very cool. The stories inside the story are awesome. And it's just fun to watch. No great "films" in there probably but the same can be said for a lot of cultural touchpoints from Indiana Jones to the Rocky series after the first one to almost every superhero movie made in the last 10 years.

[KCKUKFan]

I think Star Wars in general is pretty lame and overrated, but I see them because I feel it's my obligation as a movie fan.

I would argue that "Raiders Of The Lost Ark," "Rocky," "The Last Crusade," "The Dark Knight," "The Avengers," "Spider-Man 1 and 2," and "The Empire Strikes Back" are all great "films."

[Spiritof96]

Raiders of the Lost Ark is literally the best movie ever made.

[Spiritof96]

I really liked The Force Awakens. One of the rare movies I actually paid for a second time in the theater. Looking forward to Rogue One.

Love Star Wars because the world Lucas created is very cool. The stories inside the story are awesome. And it's just fun to watch. No great "films" in there probably but the same can be said for a lot of cultural touchpoints from Indiana Jones to the Rocky series after the first one to almost every superhero movie made in the last 10 years.

I didn't dislike The Force Awakens it's just that I liked the new things so much that I was really disappointed with the degree of rehashed material. I think the script for TFA is much better than R1 from a dialogue perspective, but both movies were similar in that I found the first half that was new more interesting than the second.