As the famous first Schoolhouse Rock sang: "Three is a Magic Number", and that's the theme for today's movies one is a third time's the charm the other is the churn, and here they are, starting with the bad:
Poltergeist III: Often cited as the weak entry in the trilogy, and for a good long laundry list of reasons. I respect the filmmakers for trying something different, but the problem here is there's too many faults to name among them are the scares, though there are some good ones such as when Donna bursts out of the "corpse" of Tangina, or when Dr. Seaton (Richard Fire) gets murdered by demons disguised as Donna and Scott, and the mirror effects. The performances here range from mediocre to bad, especially Fire's performance as the psychologists who falls flat and utters rubbish like "This is all Carol Anne's doing!" "Don't worry it's just an illusion". The guy playing Kane is no match for the late Julian Beck who played the role convincingly in the 2nd before his death. The fact that the way to repel/defeat Kane with Tangina's tacky blue necklace is utterly ridiculous, as is the 123 times you hear the name "Carol Anne!" so annoying! The final straw is Heather O'Rourke died a few months before release and rubbing salt in the wound, the producers weren't happy with the ending that they shot a different ending with a stand-in for Heather, not that it would have saved it with the original ending either. Too bad Heather O'Rourke's performance is the only good thing from this dreadful horror flick.
Pokemon 3: Spell of the Unown: Ironically, this one is aces ahead of its predecessors (a little biased, but accurate considering I'm a fan of this franchise). Whereas the first was a good idea, poor execution, the second was an epic mediocrity, this one hits all the right notes, though not without a few flaws, but otherwise a nice film for anime fans whether you're a fan of it or not. Forget the bleak darkness, messy plot, and pointless message of the first, and straightforward adventure of the 2nd, this is the real deal with twists, a great message, plenty of action, and good performances. My personal favorite of the creatures Charizard takes a hero role, which is long overdue, besides Ash, Misty, and Brock (boy do I miss those three together) performing their usual heroics. Nice animation and graphics that have held up well. The flaws in question are some plot holes, some underused characters, and a few mediocre performances, but otherwise, I think this movie deserves more respect.
Recent Movies You Saw
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BlasteroidAli
- Posts: 1620
- Joined: April 9th, 2015, 7:50 pm
Re: Recent Movies You Saw
I love the Munsters. Adored the TV show. So when I heard Rob Zombie was making a movie of it, I was interested. I mean it could be amazing right? I managed 20 mins of it. It is on Netflix and with Halloween coming up you all need to watch it, esp the Critic. Then play the 7800 game..
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Zack Burner
- Posts: 1223
- Joined: May 3rd, 2019, 6:01 pm
Re: Recent Movies You Saw
Just finished watching a masterpiece of supernatural horror, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year: "Poltergeist". Still a very effective chiller with balanced elements of family warmth underneath. Of course it's the combined involvement of Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper at the helm, how can you go wrong? Plenty of memorable performances and lines including the immortal "They're Here!" and of course the infamous scares. The most frightening moments include the Tree attack, the face tearing scene, the 2 encounters with The Beast (the giant skull and the ghostly haired skeleton), and the worst of them all......The clown doll attack! This one stands the test of time. Sometime soon, I'll see how the sequel holds up.....
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Steve
- Posts: 101
- Joined: May 12th, 2015, 5:34 pm
Re: Recent Movies You Saw
Just finished watching 2 movies that seem to be not very highly regarded
1) Jurassic World Dominion: I enjoyed this movie but perhaps not surprising since I enjoyed both Jurassic World movies prior to this one. Are there issues? Sure. It was slow in spots and there were notable green screen moments (which usually don't bother me). However, I think this movie has just fallen victim to "Not as good as the original" syndrome. While that would be true in this case, I refuse to judge a movie based on what came prior. On that level, I enjoyed it as what it set out to be. As a side note, Jurassic Park 3 is by far my least favorite. Another side note. I did watch the extended version of the movie which I'd heard does add to the experience.
2) Thor: Love and Thunder. I could almost do a copy/paste of the Jurassic World Dominion movie. I enjoyed what it was but with respect to this particular franchise, I think the original is the worst of the series (not bad, just not my favorite). Love and Thunder actually made me laugh out loud multiple times. Again, were there things I didn't enjoy that much or were disappointing? Sure. I didn't think the villain was that memorable and I wish there was more Guardians of the Galaxy although I certainly enjoyed the beginning of the movie. The scene with the kids at the end was also a little too cheesy for me (although some entertaining spots).
I think the bottom line with movies (music and games) is that people seem to be becoming way too critical. Expectations seem way to high. It's almost as if people have become incapable of enjoying something for what it is. Too often people watch a preview and will say "crap" or "looks terrible". I'm guessing that based on the post about how old we all are, maybe it's a generational issue that I just don't understand. Maybe I'm just a happy person
1) Jurassic World Dominion: I enjoyed this movie but perhaps not surprising since I enjoyed both Jurassic World movies prior to this one. Are there issues? Sure. It was slow in spots and there were notable green screen moments (which usually don't bother me). However, I think this movie has just fallen victim to "Not as good as the original" syndrome. While that would be true in this case, I refuse to judge a movie based on what came prior. On that level, I enjoyed it as what it set out to be. As a side note, Jurassic Park 3 is by far my least favorite. Another side note. I did watch the extended version of the movie which I'd heard does add to the experience.
2) Thor: Love and Thunder. I could almost do a copy/paste of the Jurassic World Dominion movie. I enjoyed what it was but with respect to this particular franchise, I think the original is the worst of the series (not bad, just not my favorite). Love and Thunder actually made me laugh out loud multiple times. Again, were there things I didn't enjoy that much or were disappointing? Sure. I didn't think the villain was that memorable and I wish there was more Guardians of the Galaxy although I certainly enjoyed the beginning of the movie. The scene with the kids at the end was also a little too cheesy for me (although some entertaining spots).
I think the bottom line with movies (music and games) is that people seem to be becoming way too critical. Expectations seem way to high. It's almost as if people have become incapable of enjoying something for what it is. Too often people watch a preview and will say "crap" or "looks terrible". I'm guessing that based on the post about how old we all are, maybe it's a generational issue that I just don't understand. Maybe I'm just a happy person
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BlasteroidAli
- Posts: 1620
- Joined: April 9th, 2015, 7:50 pm
Re: Recent Movies You Saw
My fave Thor movie was the first one. I have had Disney plus for a month so I have been catching up on the movies I did not see because of the pandemic.
Black Widow. Scarlett Johansson is gorgeous. That is what the movie has going for it. That is the only thing. Not very interesting. Another girl power movie. If you love them this is for you.
Dr. Strange and the Multiverse. Wow. This could easily have been a classic. It is a great effects movie seeking a plot. As soon as people could make special effects the stories seemed to suffer badly. It is the case with this movie which was very predictable. They really need to go back to the comics and write the scripts from previous stories.
Alien 3. This movie is nowhere near as bad as I remembered it to be. I admit that I have seen the workprint so the movie makes a lot more sense now. Given that I could dismiss the confusing start to the movie and just enjoy it. It is a rewrite of the first movie but instead of a spaceship, they are in a prison, in some ways the same thing.
The Eternals. I managed 20 mins before I gave up. I just thought, why is this so boring? The bits set in Camden in London were cool as I walked around all of them.
Life. Now originally I did not like this movie that much but after a friend said it was great I re-watched it. I enjoyed it.
Black Widow. Scarlett Johansson is gorgeous. That is what the movie has going for it. That is the only thing. Not very interesting. Another girl power movie. If you love them this is for you.
Dr. Strange and the Multiverse. Wow. This could easily have been a classic. It is a great effects movie seeking a plot. As soon as people could make special effects the stories seemed to suffer badly. It is the case with this movie which was very predictable. They really need to go back to the comics and write the scripts from previous stories.
Alien 3. This movie is nowhere near as bad as I remembered it to be. I admit that I have seen the workprint so the movie makes a lot more sense now. Given that I could dismiss the confusing start to the movie and just enjoy it. It is a rewrite of the first movie but instead of a spaceship, they are in a prison, in some ways the same thing.
The Eternals. I managed 20 mins before I gave up. I just thought, why is this so boring? The bits set in Camden in London were cool as I walked around all of them.
Life. Now originally I did not like this movie that much but after a friend said it was great I re-watched it. I enjoyed it.
Last edited by BlasteroidAli on October 7th, 2022, 3:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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VideoGameCritic
- Site Admin
- Posts: 18180
- Joined: April 1st, 2015, 7:23 pm
Re: Recent Movies You Saw
Saw Scream (2022) and only mildly amused.
It was kind of cool how "meta" it was constantly referencing other horror movies, as well as ragging on past Scream movies (although they refer to it as Stab). The characters are likable enough but the movie isn't very scary. Mainly just jump scares.
It's pretty good for the first hour and then becomes hard to swallow. It's not believable at all. It seems like a Scream parody. I was just waiting for the actors to start cracking like laughing at any moment.
They even mock movies that re-release without a number afterwards - like this one! I hate to think they chose such a bad title just for that lame joke. It's not like this is a reboot at all. If anything this is a pure sequel with many old characters and locations.
It was kind of cool how "meta" it was constantly referencing other horror movies, as well as ragging on past Scream movies (although they refer to it as Stab). The characters are likable enough but the movie isn't very scary. Mainly just jump scares.
It's pretty good for the first hour and then becomes hard to swallow. It's not believable at all. It seems like a Scream parody. I was just waiting for the actors to start cracking like laughing at any moment.
They even mock movies that re-release without a number afterwards - like this one! I hate to think they chose such a bad title just for that lame joke. It's not like this is a reboot at all. If anything this is a pure sequel with many old characters and locations.
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velcrozombie
- Posts: 610
- Joined: April 12th, 2015, 3:37 pm
Re: Recent Movies You Saw
I've been really pushing myself to get more films watched lately since I'm still behind the pace I set last year and the backlog is still massive. I've ranking these in the order I enjoyed them more or less, not necessarily quality:
A Dark Song: A- (intense drama/horror with a mystic and a grieving woman holed up in a remote house performing the grueling Abramelin ritual; like Hereditary, it's a slow burn and the horror elements don't show up until the final third; highly recommended)
The Invisible Man (1933): A- (classic horror film, leans heavily on black comedy, some of the effects still look great)
Brain Damage: B+ (gory black comedy in seedy NYC locales with a charming monster from the maker of Basket Case)
Bad Day at Black Rock: B+ (mix of film noir and western with a loaded cast and beautiful widescreen cinematography)
The War Game (1966): B+ (horrific docudrama of the possible impact of a nuclear war on Great Britain; not shown on TV for 20 years - would make a good companion piece with Threads)
Isle of the Dead (1945): B- (solid atmospheric horror with Boris Karloff but not up to the level of producer Val Lewton's classics)
Stereo (1969): C+ (It's very hard to rate this one but I didn't dislike it, it's a no budget experimental student film with no soundtrack or spoken dialogue, just narration; more for David Cronenberg completists)
A Dark Song: A- (intense drama/horror with a mystic and a grieving woman holed up in a remote house performing the grueling Abramelin ritual; like Hereditary, it's a slow burn and the horror elements don't show up until the final third; highly recommended)
The Invisible Man (1933): A- (classic horror film, leans heavily on black comedy, some of the effects still look great)
Brain Damage: B+ (gory black comedy in seedy NYC locales with a charming monster from the maker of Basket Case)
Bad Day at Black Rock: B+ (mix of film noir and western with a loaded cast and beautiful widescreen cinematography)
The War Game (1966): B+ (horrific docudrama of the possible impact of a nuclear war on Great Britain; not shown on TV for 20 years - would make a good companion piece with Threads)
Isle of the Dead (1945): B- (solid atmospheric horror with Boris Karloff but not up to the level of producer Val Lewton's classics)
Stereo (1969): C+ (It's very hard to rate this one but I didn't dislike it, it's a no budget experimental student film with no soundtrack or spoken dialogue, just narration; more for David Cronenberg completists)
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DaHeckIzDat
- Posts: 2014
- Joined: April 9th, 2015, 1:41 pm
Re: Recent Movies You Saw
I'm on my yearly October Horror Movie Binge(tm) and the first two weren't all that impressive.
Hell House LLC is a found footage mockumentary about a spookhouse where a mysterious event causes dozens of people to be killed on opening night. There are some legitimately creepy moments, and some decidedly non-creepy ones like when the cameraman hides from a ghost by pulling his bed covers over his head. But the whole movie is building up to the revelation of what happened on opening night, and when you finally find out, it's very anticlimactic. I don't want to spoil it, but I actually think not revealing it at all and letting it remain a mystery would have been better than the boring final act they gave us. (also, the "twist" ending after that was just stupid)
The second movie was Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made. It's another mockumentary, this time about a horror movie that's so cursed it made the first theater it was shown in burst into flames--so naturally they've tracked down the only remaining copy and expect you to watch it! The *movie* part of the movie is about two siblings trying to dig a hole to hell in the forest where Satan landed after being cast out of heaven. Again, it has some creepy moments, but it's own foreshadowing is what ultimately ruins it. I kept waiting for the moment where sh*t would hit the fan and I'd understand what was so horrible that it made an entire theater go up in flames just by showing it, but that moment never came. It's like the director realized he'd made a mediocre horror movie with no memorable qualities, so he decided to invent a "legend" about it to draw more people in.
Hell House LLC is a found footage mockumentary about a spookhouse where a mysterious event causes dozens of people to be killed on opening night. There are some legitimately creepy moments, and some decidedly non-creepy ones like when the cameraman hides from a ghost by pulling his bed covers over his head. But the whole movie is building up to the revelation of what happened on opening night, and when you finally find out, it's very anticlimactic. I don't want to spoil it, but I actually think not revealing it at all and letting it remain a mystery would have been better than the boring final act they gave us. (also, the "twist" ending after that was just stupid)
The second movie was Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made. It's another mockumentary, this time about a horror movie that's so cursed it made the first theater it was shown in burst into flames--so naturally they've tracked down the only remaining copy and expect you to watch it! The *movie* part of the movie is about two siblings trying to dig a hole to hell in the forest where Satan landed after being cast out of heaven. Again, it has some creepy moments, but it's own foreshadowing is what ultimately ruins it. I kept waiting for the moment where sh*t would hit the fan and I'd understand what was so horrible that it made an entire theater go up in flames just by showing it, but that moment never came. It's like the director realized he'd made a mediocre horror movie with no memorable qualities, so he decided to invent a "legend" about it to draw more people in.
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MooTheKow2
- Posts: 6
- Joined: April 8th, 2015, 9:25 am
Re: Recent Movies You Saw
DaHeckIzDat wrote:I'm on my yearly October Horror Movie Binge(tm) and the first two weren't all that impressive.
Hell House LLC is a found footage mockumentary about a spookhouse where a mysterious event causes dozens of people to be killed on opening night. There are some legitimately creepy moments, and some decidedly non-creepy ones like when the cameraman hides from a ghost by pulling his bed covers over his head. But the whole movie is building up to the revelation of what happened on opening night, and when you finally find out, it's very anticlimactic. I don't want to spoil it, but I actually think not revealing it at all and letting it remain a mystery would have been better than the boring final act they gave us. (also, the "twist" ending after that was just stupid)
I'm a big fan of the Hell House series. 1, 2 and 3 are all great so far as I'm concerned. All work well together to kind of tell the full story about what is going on -- and all have pretty good tension to them and some great ambiance.
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Teddybear
- Posts: 213
- Joined: April 7th, 2015, 7:50 pm
Re: Recent Movies You Saw
velcrozombie wrote:I've been really pushing myself to get more films watched lately since I'm still behind the pace I set last year and the backlog is still massive. I've ranking these in the order I enjoyed them more or less, not necessarily quality:
The War Game (1966): B+ (horrific docudrama of the possible impact of a nuclear war on Great Britain; not shown on TV for 20 years - would make a good companion piece with Threads)
How did you view this might I ask? Recently I have been watching several 1960's nuclear war/disaster movies like Panic in the Year Zero, The Day the Earth Caught Fire, etc. and The War Game certainly seems like one I should see.
I can't seem to find it out there anywhere (for a free viewing of course lol)