The Official Last Movie You Saw Thread (Part 2)

[Blue Heaven]

As far as prestige cinema goes, you're probably right. But Cage had plenty of good (read: entertaining) films after "Leaving Las Vegas."

The Rock, Con/Air, Face Off, Gone In 60 Seconds, Adaptation, Matchstick Men, National Treasure, Lord Of War, Bad Lieutenant, Kick-Ass, Bringing Out The Dead, and Snake Eyes were all fine films that occurred after Leaving Las Vegas.

The last six or seven years has been a decidedly... hmmm... mixed bag, to be generous.

I was think The Rock and Face Off was after LLV. You are right that those were good movies. And I had totally forgot about Lord of War. A very underrated film that I enjoyed.

[Catatonic]

The new Nicolas Cage movie, Mandy, is probably the most buzzed-about movie of the summer. It's supposed to be spectacular.

Could a case be made that Cage has had the most interesting career of anyone in the history of Hollywood? Has to be in the running.

I'm really late to this, but I saw Mandy awhile ago and couldn't disagree more with KCKUK's review. Well, I guess I would agree that it is decidedly NOT for mainstream audiences with short attention spans, but you might enjoy it as much as I did if you're into the idea of a slow-burn, Lynchian gorefest. Cage is great in it, that's not really up for debate.

[KCKUKFan]

I'm really late to this, but I saw Mandy awhile ago and couldn't disagree more with KCKUK's review. Well, I guess I would agree that it is decidedly NOT for mainstream audiences with short attention spans, but you might enjoy it as much as I did if you're into the idea of a slow-burn, Lynchian gorefest. Cage is great in it, that's not really up for debate.

I love (most) Lynch and I love gorefests. And while I must admit that there were some awesome moments in the second half of "Mandy," the movie itself just seemed like a two hour wank session from a director obsessed with psychadelic drugs and Vangelis. That first hour? Holy shit... what a druggy, go-nowhere bore.

Of course, I'm also the guy who just called "National Treasure," "Gone In 60 Seconds," "Con/Air," and "Snake Eyes" "fine films" two posts ago.

[Catatonic]

The first half of Mandy is establishing the characters and the stakes so the viewer can appreciate what is being stolen. I didn't find it boring in the least, and having the general knowledge of what's coming gives it a feeling of tragedy and dread as the second half's descent-into-hell approaches. It taps into the primal fear of protecting those you love and what that might do to you if you couldn't. If a viewer can't relate to that life experience, or is just checking their watch because they are unwilling or incapable of feeling anything, then sure it's gonna be a real slog for them.

I like a lot of dumb Nic Cage movies as well, I don't think they're mutually exclusive.

[KCKUKFan]

The first half of Mandy is establishing the characters and the stakes so the viewer can appreciate what is being stolen. I didn't find it boring in the least, and having the general knowledge of what's coming gives it a feeling of tragedy and dread as the second half's descent-into-hell approaches. It taps into the primal fear of protecting those you love and what that might do to you if you couldn't. If a viewer can't relate to that life experience, or is just checking their watch because they are unwilling or incapable of feeling anything, then sure it's gonna be a real slog for them.

I like a lot of dumb Nic Cage movies as well, I don't think they're mutually exclusive.

I think I could've done with a fifteen minute setup where we meet them and she gets kidnapped, but I could've skipped thirty (endless) minutes of watching the cult and their ridiculous leader act poorly.

[Blue Heaven]

Of course, I'm also the guy who just called "National Treasure," "Gone In 60 Seconds," "Con/Air," and "Snake Eyes" "fine films" two posts ago.

Who was I to correct you on it?!? It's what an individual likes. I wasn't gonna interfere, but...

[Joneslab]

Three Identical Strangers.

Catatonic mentioned this above. I had the same thoughts as him: that the movie sort of begins in this breezy way and then almost becomes a suspense thriller by the end. The most interesting thing about it though is that it asks very, very complex questions about the human condition, specifically the nature vs. nurture argument. It kind of sneaks up on you and becomes almost this think-piece by the end, and along the way you meet three of the more full-bodied characters you'll see in documentaries.

Highly recommended and one of the more unique docs I've seen in some time.

[KevinHall]

Its that time of year to watch scary or horror movies and my wife is always in search of newer ones. We found this one on Netflix. It is called The Lodgers. It's a gothic horror tale that is set in 1920's Ireland. Some of it was actually filmed at Loftus Hall, which said to be the most haunted place in Ireland. This story is about fraternal twins who are confined to their dilapidated mansion by mysterious forces who disapprove of them leaving it or anyone else coming onto the property. This movie is slow moving and things are revealed in a very slow manner. You have to kind of hang with it and keep a very open mind about what is keeping them there and what they want with them in the end. As my wife said its more depressing than scary and I agree with that. I would give it 3 of 5 stars mainly for the acting which I thought was pretty good. Also the atmosphere and effects were good also.

Spoiler Alert***** This isn't for kiddies. There much nudity, mostly backsides and incest is an overriding theme.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4399952/?ref_=nv_sr_1

I also watched a documentary on Showtime, It is called "If I Leave Here Tomorrow". Its about the 1970's southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. I liked them back then and couldn't remember all the circumstances of their plane crash which killed two members of their band, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines. Also four others were killed in the crash including both pilots. This starts out a little slow as it goes into some detail about the roots of the band. You may have thought they were from Alabama but they were actually from Jacksonville Florida. At least majority of them were. They slowly rose to fame and were helped a lot by being a lead in for The Who on a tour and later on for the Rolling Stones. They were the typical hard drinking,fighting and drug using band of the times. You would have thought they would have been a very conservative typical southern good ole boys. The living survivors said they were the opposite for the most part. Very liberal anti gun and more accepting of differences in people than most of the crowd they catered to. Their drummer Artimus Pyle was actually a vegan hippie who was very much his own person. It's always interesting see how they came about their songs and how they lived. It always amazes me how, the ones that are still living into their 70's now, could have lived that long with all of the drinking and drugs they did.
If you are my age and liked this band you should try to catch this documentary while its running on Showtime.

[Joneslab]

My wife and I also really loved The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime.

One of the more interesting shows I've seen in this golden age of TV. Like Mad Men--and, oddly, Stranger Things--the makers put so much care and craft into putting the episodes together. The details are stylized down to the stuff you can barely make out in the backgrounds. I loved the neat split of the main character's upper-class Jewish life and the bourgeois hippy mentality that was just beginning to bloom in the Village in the '50s. And of course it's fascinating to see the intricacies of stand-up comedy and how comics work out and polish their acts.

Rachel Brosnahan has earned rightful acclaim as the lead, but I loved Alex Borstein as the feminist, dyke-ish manager that brings Maisel into the comedy biz. Every time Borstein is on the screen she just lights it up.

This gets my highest recommendation and very rarely during the season's eight episodes does the charm and likability wane. Something of a minor masterpiece.

[KCKUKFan]

My wife and I couldn't get into "Mrs. Maisel." I appreciated the craft much more than I actually enjoyed it.

We're loving "Ozark," though, even though we both should know better.

[Joneslab]

My wife and I couldn't get into "Mrs. Maisel." I appreciated the craft much more than I actually enjoyed it.

We're loving "Ozark," though, even though we both should know better.

Interesting.

I hated Ozark. Literally despised. Which is interesting, because I love thrillers and some crime shows. I often argue that there aren't enough thrillers on streaming TV.

But Ozark gets so many things wrong. After a fairly blistering first episode, what happens is that everything becomes stock. The characters' motivations are stock. The twists are stock and fall way below what you'll find in most garden variety suspense novels you can find on drugstore shelves. And the villains...holy hell don't get me started with that bunch. Plus, Linney and Bateman didn't work for me. Neither character is unlikable enough in a show where unlikeability is the point.

One of the poorest shows I've watched through one season. It's like if a group of teenagers were told to make a Breaking Bad spinoff.

There's so much better out there in this wheelhouse. Have you tried Luther?

[KCKUKFan]

Interesting.

I hated Ozark. Literally despised. Which is interesting, because I love thrillers and some crime shows. I often argue that there aren't enough thrillers on streaming TV.

But Ozark gets so many things wrong. After a fairly blistering first episode, what happens is that everything becomes stock. The characters' motivations are stock. The twists are stock and fall way below what you'll find in most garden variety suspense novels you can find on drugstore shelves. And the villains...holy hell don't get me started with that bunch. Plus, Linney and Bateman didn't work for me. Neither character is unlikable enough in a show where unlikeability is the point.

One of the poorest shows I've watched through one season. It's like if a group of teenagers were told to make a Breaking Bad spinoff.

There's so much better out there in this wheelhouse. Have you tried Luther?

Yep, liked "Luther" a lot.

I dunno... wife and I just finished season 2 of "Ozark," and while I still contend that it's a bootleg "Breaking Bad," it sure is entertaining. We're completely enthralled, and based upon the streaming numbers, it would appear that we're not the only ones.

[Spiritof96]

My wife and I also really loved The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon Prime.

One of the more interesting shows I've seen in this golden age of TV. Like Mad Men--and, oddly, Stranger Things--the makers put so much care and craft into putting the episodes together. The details are stylized down to the stuff you can barely make out in the backgrounds. I loved the neat split of the main character's upper-class Jewish life and the bourgeois hippy mentality that was just beginning to bloom in the Village in the '50s. And of course it's fascinating to see the intricacies of stand-up comedy and how comics work out and polish their acts.

Rachel Brosnahan has earned rightful acclaim as the lead, but I loved Alex Borstein as the feminist, dyke-ish manager that brings Maisel into the comedy biz. Every time Borstein is on the screen she just lights it up.

This gets my highest recommendation and very rarely during the season's eight episodes does the charm and likability wane. Something of a minor masterpiece.

We like this show a lot.

I didn't like season 2 of Ozark nearly as much as season 1.

I miss The Americans...

[KCKUKFan]

"The Americans" was a fantastic show, start to finish, and underrated. It absolutely belongs in the discussion with the all-time big hitters ("Breaking Bad," "The Wire," "The Sopranos," etc.)

[Spiritof96]

"The Americans" was a fantastic show, start to finish, and underrated. It absolutely belongs in the discussion with the all-time big hitters ("Breaking Bad," "The Wire," "The Sopranos," etc.)

I don't know if I "like" the Americans more than other shows, but I did find it really compelling and indispensable. Especially in the latter half of it's run.

Mad Men is my all time fav...