From Beyond - First time watching this one. Moved it up the list after it was mentioned in the sexist scenes topic. This movie is really out there.
I finished up the year watching more movies than typical. A total of 327 with 104 of them being theatrical.
Inspired by the release of Criterion's Godzilla box set, I decided that 2020 would be the year I finally dig into kaiju films. I have a watchlist of 66 films that are part of or spun-off from the Godzilla and Gamera franchises that I'll be watching over the next few months. I'm going to collect my thoughts on Letterboxd and Twitter (@October_John) under the tag #KaijuVirgin. I've only seen a handful of films in this subgenre (all the American King Kongs, about 5 Godzilla films), so the majority will be first time watches. I'm excited to kick the marathon off today with a rewatch of the original 1954 Godzilla.
Personally, I'm just sitting here waiting for the 2020 Track the Films You Watch thread to appear....
Uncut Gems I went to the theaters with relatively no knowledge of the story. I just knew Adam Sandler was playing a serious role and co starred Kevin Garnett. It was pretty fucking good. Sandler is a jewler with a bad gambling problem. That's all you really need to know......but it's pretty fantastic.
I found Sandler's character to be absolutely annoying. Since he was in virtually every scene that didn't make for a pleasant viewing for me. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I really wanted something bad to happen to the main protagonist. Also at two hours and fifteen minutes in length the film just overstayed it's welcome.
I can see that. He certainly wasn't the best of humans to say the least lol but I thought he did a great job as did KG.
The acting was certainly well done. I just couldn't get past my dislike for the main character. It was unrealistic to me that he was so destructive yet lived to be as old as he was and still have a semblance of a "normal" life.
I'm bumping a 13 year old comment because I watched "They're Playing With Fire" last night and my jaw is still on the floor. Just...wow. What...? How...? Why...? I have so many questions and feel like there should be a documentary detailing exactly how this "film" was made and how it ended up so inept in every way. I don't know if DopeChamberX also wrote this review but it expands on all the points listed above. I'm not sure if the movie is streaming anywhere other than youtube (I had the bluray from one of the Kino Lorber sales) but it's worth seeking out if you're a fan of so-bad-it's-unbelievable film making. Or Sybil Danning's breasts.
Made it through the entire month of January. Thought it might be fun to do monthly highlights. Of the first time watches: Sound Of Metal - Stellar indie that's getting some much deserved awards buzz. Give the Oscars to Riz Ahmed and Paul Raci. Check it out on Amazon Prime streaming. Tread - Absolutely wild documentary. The final third had my jaw on the floor. A must-see. Directed by Paul Solet (Grace, Tales Of Halloween). Available on NetFlix. Impetigore - This was a terrific surprise. It's creative, intense, and pretty out there. The opening tollbooth sequence alone was terrifying. Also caught The Queen Of Black Magic which isn't as good but still a solid watch. With these and Satan's Slaves, sign me up for anything Joko Anwar is involved in. All three are available on SHUDDER. The Kid Detective - What starts as a cute and quirky little comedy takes a jarring tonal shift I did not see coming. The ending of this thing gets dark and surprisingly mature. I thought it was a great! Available on DVD and blu-ray. The Death Of Dick Long - Picked up this DVD on a whim for $4 from a closing Family Video. Some people might find this boring, but I was really into it. I loved the commitment to creating this offbeat Alabama town, it felt very authentic. And when the mystery of Dick's death is finally revealed... WTF! Bonus points for using Creed and Nickelback music with sincerity, I was cracking up. Synchronic - Already posted my thoughts on this one. Creative sci-fi / buddy comedy with a nice emotional punch. Available on blu-ray and DVD. Parallel - This would make a nice companion to Synchronic. It's not as polished and a little bit corny at times, but I was impressed by how high-concept and playful it is. Don't let the mediocre direct-to-DVD artwork fool you, this is a really cool little sci-fi movie that puts plot, character, and creativity over budget and special effects. Available on DVD. On the retro front, The Dark Power was an '80s homegrown horror I had never seen before. It charmed the heck out of me. The VCI DVD was only $3.50 during one of their recent sales. Finally, shout out to the new season of Cobra Kai. Love this show! In terms of re-watches, my favorites were The Rules Of Attraction, Snow Angels, and O. None of which are exactly feel-great movies, but Rules is lively enough to not be too depressing. LOVE it! Horror-wise, Ghostkeeper is always fun, and I enjoyed seeing Splice again. Both winter horror.
I agree. You can watch his 2012 film Ritual on Amazon Prime - it's pretty good also although in a slightly different vein and a bit far-fetched from what I remember.
