list/discuss/rate - your recently watched movies

Gentle and Giant wrote: Mickey 17 - Blimey this is a rather weird movie. It wants to be a comedy at the beginning then drifts in to political satire a bit too much at the end. All that mixed in with sci-fi, aliens and action. I did enjoy it though and Robert Pattinson is superb (as is most of the acting here) and I suppose one expects something a bit odd from Bong Joon Ho (Parasite, Snowpiercer). 7/10

Yep agree mostly although I think Mark Ruffalo is an absolute hoot as he gradually morphs into a version of Donald Trump with the always superb Toni Collette as his partner being a perfect foil for him. Occurred to me this is something that could easily have been written by Seth McFarland who also does sci-fi satire really well (The Orville).

Werewolves 2024
I should examine why I even watch films that are almost obviously going to be bad. This has an IMDB rating of 4.4/10 and that is generous. I've always found the whole transformation thing from human to creature fascinating, so I was hoping for at least something interesting in the CGI represenation of this at least. Back in 1979 the John Landis classic 'An American Werewolf In London' set the benchmark for werewolf films and still remains easily the best all these years later. That used animatronics and was remarkable for its design, but also a very brilliant script laced with black humour and some well chosen actors. The scene in the London Underground was especially memorable.
So back to Werewolves. I was hoping for just a smidgeon of something but no this is an entirely dumb film with no sense of humour that leads to a fight scene with 2 werewolves which is just very uninteresting. The effects are actually okay but when everything else is so stupid this is simply not going to make a difference. Also why are all the werewolves 8 feet tall and look the same? (except one weird child version that suggests a different design could be possible). I guess budgetary restraints but really just lack of any imagination and the need to push out a generic horror film onto a streaming platform while spending as little money as possible. RIP Frank Grillo and Lou Diamond Phillips acting careers.

Fall 2022
This came highly recommended by my Mum! The basic idea is intriguing if not that original but it's so brilliantly written and shot that it might be one of the best thrillers of its kind that I've watched recently. Thoroughly enjoyable although be warned that it does have some vertigo enducing scenes.

Agreed Snowpiercer is worth a watch, even Chris Evans is good.

Snowpiercer the movie is still worth a watch even if you've seen the TV show. Tilda Swinton is amazing in it.

Mickey 17 - Blimey this is a rather weird movie. It wants to be a comedy at the beginning then drifts in to political satire a bit too much at the end. All that mixed in with sci-fi, aliens and action. I did enjoy it though and Robert Pattinson is superb (as is most of the acting here) and I suppose one expects something a bit odd from Bong Joon Ho (Parasite, Snowpiercer). 7/10

Holland 2024

Volition (2019) - This one was a surprise. Basically it's about a guy named Jimmy that has clairvoyant abilities allowing him to see fragments of his near future. So, he gets himself involved in some deal over stolen diamonds and uses his abilities to hopefully get himself a nice chunk of money from the shady characters involved. The deal goes bad and then the whole movie goes off the rails involving multiple time travel events in order to save a woman he has recently fallen for. This is not the same nor as good as Predestination, but has very similar vibes. A head-scratcher for sure and probably a paradox or two. Worthy of 8.5/10, mostly for keeping the plot in line with the twisted timelines.

Nocebo 2022

The Circle (2017) - How much social media is too much? Should we let it control every aspect of our lives? What if everything we did was public? What if anyone in the world could track you down when you want to be left alone? These are some of the questions this film attempts to answer, kind of in a haphazard way. We are ultimately left with no real conclusion but apparently there are pros and cons for all of these questions according to this film. Starring Tom Hanks, Emma Watson, Patton Oswalt, and a nice surprise seeing Karen Gillan (of Doctor Who fame). It's a nice cast and there are some really great acting moments throughout. The storyline I think is trying to bite off more than it can chew. At moments the film seems rushed, and at others it drags. To be honest, I'm not sure what it needs to give it a higher rating than the 6/10 I'm giving it. Still, it wasn't a waste of my time either.

Edited by progaardvark - March 14 2025 at 06:43