The Official Last Movie You Saw Thread (Part 2)

[TrueblueCATfan]

Halloween......have to say it was very good....

[Catatonic]

Halloween 2018 - Easily the best in this series since the original. I was surprised how much this one relies on the viewer's knowledge and fandom of Carpenter's movie, so if you haven't seen it in a while you might want to refresh your memory for maximum appreciation. I won't spoil it, but there's one moment in particular near the end that is so pitch perfect, my gf and I both cackled in delight. Jamie Lee Curtis absolutely owns this thing. If there was to be a Mount Rushmore of cinema's ass-kicking women, you can now add Laurie Strode alongside Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley.

[KCKUKFan]

Halloween 2018 - Thoroughly enjoyed it. Doesn't really put a dent in the original, but easily the best sequel (not that that is saying a whole lot). A lot of fun.

First Man - I thought this was incredibly good. Director Damien Chazelle, who previously gave us the masterpiece "Whiplash" and the overrated "La La Land," returns with this biopic of Neil Armstrong and the Space Race. Easily as good as the previous two cannon space movies ("The Right Stuff," "Apollo 13"). Ryan Gosling is solid as Armstrong, and Claire Foy steals scenes as his wife. The actual mission sequences are incredible, and should be seen on as big of a screen as possible. In IMAX, I felt every rumble, racket, and the claustrophobia was immense; it really makes you appreciate the balls of our astronauts.

Bad Times At The El Royale - A solid premise, flashy stylistic choices, and some game performances can't save this one from being a forgettable Tarantino riff. Jeff Bridges is always reliable, but the movie thinks its smarter than it really is, and once Liam Hemsworth comes into the movie as a cult leader, things start falling apart. A disappointing follow-up from Drew Goddard, who previously gave us the genius "The Cabin In The Woods."

A Star Is Born - Let me preface by saying that when it comes to a story like this, it's how it's done. We've seen the rags-to-riches, down-on-his-luck-alcoholic-musician flick a thousand times; hell, this particular movie has been made four times now. So how is the execution? Pretty much flawless. Bradley Cooper writes, directs, and sings (and is excellent at all three -- it's not fair that this man has been gifted with so much lol). He plays an alcoholic blues/country rocker on the backside of his career, who falls in love and mentors an up-and-coming talent, played by Lady Gaga. Cooper is great, but Gaga is the show. She obviously has a powerhouse singing voice, but she also shows some very naturalistic acting chops. She is an insane talent. So, bottom line: the songs are mostly great, the singing is beautiful, the performances are great, and it's a thoroughly entertaining piece of crowd-pleasing filmmaking. Gets a little too melodramatic in the last reel, but other than that, I don't have many complaints. Just a very good movie.

Venom - I feel like there might have been a good movie here before the studio started chopping it all to hell. The original cut was apparently rated R and ran 2 hrs and 15 minutes. The final cut is a sanitized PG-13 and runs a quick 90 minutes. Because of that, there are huge plot holes and weird tonal shifts. Still, if you're looking for an entertaining way to blow an hour and a half, you could do worse. Tom Hardy is reliably great. If you must see it, catch it on streaming... or better yet, wait for that cash-grab "director's cut" which will undoubtedly be released sometime next year.

[KevinHall]

The wife and I went to see the latest version of Halloween over the weekend. I thought it was better than the average sequel. It basically starts out 40 years from the time Myers went on his rampage. Myers has been in a insane asylum/prison for the entire time. Whatever happened in the other Halloween sequels are talked away as rumors and false information. During this entire time Laurie Strode has been preparing for his return. Its obvious she has had mental problems of her own as she has gone through a couple of marriages and her child taken away from her. She lives in a fortified bunker of a home out in the woods that is set up just in case Myers returns. Of course Myers gets loose when a bus transporting him and other inmates crashes and overturns. Then the mayhem starts. Not bad, as I said for a sequel. Jamie Lee Curtis portrays a victim of 40 years of mental terror very well. There is plenty of slashing and blood so this isn't for the squeamish at all. It's worth a trip to the theater to watch. I would give it 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

[Joneslab]

Making a Murderer Season 2.

The episodes in this season aren't nearly as jaw-dropping as those in S1, but oddly I found myself just as glued to the screen. This season is way more technical: it details Avery's and Dassey's appeals process, gets into the tortured history of habeas law, and details how the defense attorneys are trying to script their arguments to win in venues defense attorneys almost never win in. There are a couple of explosive moments, including one in the last episode, but mostly this is kind of a deep dive into how innocence projects operate.

If you were sort of meh on Season 1 you'll not find anything of interest here. For true crime buffs like me this is really interesting stuff, though. I still think Avery did it, but his new attorney is so good I actually had more doubt in this season than I did the first. Highly recommended.

[Blue Heaven]

Mission Impossible Fallout- Dang what a movie! I love this franchise and this one didn't disappoint. That last 30 minutes or so with the helicopter chase may be the best action sequence in the history of cinema. This is a must watch for action fans and fans of the franchise. So good. I wish I caught it at the theater.

[Blue Heaven]

Started watching Ozark after hearing all about it. Only two episodes in and it is shaping up to be really good. Sort of has a Breaking Bad vibe to it and that's a good thing as BB is my all time favorite show.

[Blue Heaven]

Outlaw King- Really enjoyed this. This picks up after Braveheart but it really isn't an extension of that movie. It follows Robert The Bruce and his bid to make Scotland free from English rule. Some good battle scenes but the last one is something to behold.

[Spiritof96]

Outlaw King- Really enjoyed this. This picks up after Braveheart but it really isn't an extension of that movie. It follows Robert The Bruce and his bid to make Scotland free from English rule. Some good battle scenes but the last one is something to behold.

I really liked this one. Perhaps the most historically accurate movie ever made. (from a costume, armament, and culture perspective anyway)

It is a slow burn and MUCH more bleak and depressing that I expected but I thought it was great.

EDIT to add: from a historical perspective, Bravehart is NONSENSE but fun anyway.

[Blue Heaven]

I really liked this one. Perhaps the most historically accurate movie ever made. (from a costume, armament, and culture perspective anyway)

It is a slow burn and MUCH more bleak and depressing that I expected but I thought it was great.

EDIT to add: from a historical perspective, Bravehart is NONSENSE but fun anyway.

There isn't much Netflix puts out that I don't like. Sure they borrowed some things from Braveheart but this is it's own movie. There were A LOT of inaccuracies in regards to some of the characters we saw in Braveheart. I loved both though.

If you are a war movie fan, Peter Jackson is releasing They Shall Not Grow Old. What he does with 100 year old WW1 footage is nothing short of amazing. It's getting a limited release soon. Doubt it comes here but I will search and go WAY out of my way to see this. The trailer had me in absolute awe.

[TrueblueCATfan]

Crazy Rich Asians.....what a cute and fun movie

[Spiritof96]

I watched Angela's Christmas with the kids this week. 30 Minute animated Netflix original. It was cute. The two-year-old was bored, the 5 y/o liked it, Mommy boohooed, and Daddy had something in his eye. A sweet movie about poor Irish girls night time gambit to keep the baby Jesus warm. (doll from the Church nativity) This might be my favorite Christmas movie for kids.

https://decider.com/2018/12/03/strea...as-on-netflix/ Spoiler warning if you read the entire article.

[TrueblueCATfan]

Highly recommend Bird Box with Sandra Bullock on Netflix

[KCKUKFan]

Birdbox - Second-rate "A Quiet Place." I don't care for Sandra Bullock in general, and this movie didn't change my tune.

Bumblebee - Somehow, they managed to reboot Michael Bay's laughably awful "Transformers" franchise and make it something completely fresh, delightful, and full of heart. This is what would happen if John Hughes directed a "Transformers" movie. Lightweight stuff, but very entertaining and cute.

Aquaman - I don't want to know how much money they spent on this thing. It's like if an Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper exploded on a movie screen for two and a half hours. Very entertaining, but I'm still not sure what I watched. Recommended.

[Blue Heaven]

^Saw Aquaman last night and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. DC has made a really good Superhero movie. Very colorful and full of action. Highly recommended.