O.T. State the last movie you watched and rate it

[jvett77]

Damn I've wanted to see that for forever. I've been busy with school and work but I'll get back to you once I've seen it. Fucking all-star cast, including dime Rachel McAdams (my future wife)

The movie has the same theme, investigative journalism, as All the President's Men.

 

[Cedrique]

Is it worth my money?

Its worth a couple bucks, but I wouldn't pay 15 now if you can see it for 5 in a couple months

 

[Omar 382]

Its worth a couple bucks, but I wouldn't pay 15 now if you can see it for 5 in a couple months

I saw it at Redbox. I'll probably pick it up this weekend

 

[Omar 382]

Black Mass: 2/5 stars. It started out real cool with giving the Boston city vibe, but then it completely dropped it in favor of police work, Bulger just killing people, and the moral decline of Edgerton's character. I agree with Ced that some of the hits were ridiculous. The first one was unbelievably obvious where they take the guy out near the river after he just told Bulger "fuck you" and yet the movie acted like it was a big surprise that he got capped. And then the girl getting killed was obvious too after they take her to an abandoned house, but at least the movie dropped the "secrecy" act in it and didn't act like it was a big fucking reveal. I also did not feel that Benedict Cumberbatch's character was necessary. And for a gangster film, it was very light on actual gangster activity; outside of shootings after guys snitched and/or fucked Bulger over somehow. I mean, it would have been cool to see them actually doing their business every now and then.

Last thing, for a gangster movie, it was remarkably short on memorable scenes. I mean five days from now, the only thing I might remember from this movie is Depp shooting the snitch with the shotgun and then steak recipe scene. Everything else was pretty boring and forgettable.

 

[Omar 382]

@jvett77 I watched Spotlight. 3.5/5 stars. I genuinely enjoyed most of all the movie, but I felt there was a dearth of one or two great investigative scenes or moments that could have really elevated the movie. Great acting from Ruffalo, as usual, and Tucci especially shined in the movie. I thought this was the flattest performance I've ever seen Rachel McAdams give, as she is one of my favorite actresses and I she usually shines in everything she is in. I also thought the ending was a little anti-climatic. Still, a pretty good flick if you're in the mood for a well-acted movie without a ton of action or suspense.

 

[jvett77]

Well, Omar, I thought the action in the movie was simply the quest to extricate the evidence of past abuse being so extensively guarded or covered up by the church in Boston for decades, involving less than two dozen priests, and then, once the news got out, and folks came forward by the dozens, suddenly we learn that, holy shit, we're talking about 240 freakin pedo-priests in the city of Boston alone! Fitting also was the list in the final credits of over 400 or more cities on the globe where similar abuses have taken place. Very astounding.

I though one humorous part was where the priest who answered the door, admitted to the reporter (Rachael) he abused kids, but was then quickly hustled away by that old hag (I guess his mom). Like go to your room, you idiot. lol.

 

[jvett77]

Steve Jobs. 3-1/2 of 5. A different kind of flick that deals with the prickish personality of Jobs as he rudely dealt with those closest to him at work at various points in the product cycles, and also his family. Fassbender and Winslet are excellent as are Rogen and Daniels. Got the disc from Netflix.

 

[Omar 382]

Trumbo: 4/5 stars. This movie had a great pace, great performances, and a great storyline. It only failed in clearly defining its message, which was a great one. The movie was trying to tell us that we shouldn't discriminate against anyone and that when we do people are affected. I guess by showing Trumbo's downfall they tried to do that, but it came off more to me like a personal decline due to stress and perfectionism (not unlike DiCaprio's performance as Howard Hughes in The Aviator) rather than a downfall because of injustice. Still, even with that unclear direction, I still really enjoyed the movie. Bryan Cranston was a fucking bad ass drinking whiskey, smoking a cigarette holder, and popping Benzedrine. I've never made a formal top 5 actor/actress list, but for sure DiCaprio is one, and I can't think of anyone else besides Cranston to be 2. I haven't seen as much as him as I would like, but I've never seen a performance from him that I didn't truly love and was enamored with. That can only be said for a few actors: DiCaprio, Cranston, Jake Gyllenhaal, Nicholson, and McConaughey (I haven't seen any of his 2000 chick flicks). Denzel would make the list if it wasn't for Remember The Titans.

Anyway, Bryan Cranston is fucking awesome (and an avid Phillies fan- look it up)

 

[Omar 382]

The Usual Suspects: 4/5 stars. Great movie with a hell of an ending

 

[Omar 382]

The only way (or one of the only ways) to make The Usual Suspects better given its premise was to cast Steve Buscemi as Redfoot. They may have not wanted to do it considering the plot was somewhat similar to Reservoir Dogs which he was in, but I think that would have been great

 

[Omar 382]

Animal Kingdom (2010): 3/5 stars. I was kind of let down. The actor who played the young boy was good, as was Ben Mendelsohn, but I found a lot of the drama to be a drag. I still enjoyed some parts, particularly Pearce's performance

 

[jvett77]

I just saw Trumbo. Good low key movie. 4/5. Great acting by Cranston. Good bitch job by Helen Mirren who played Hedda Hopper.

 

[Omar 382]

I just saw Trumbo. Good low key movie. 4/5. Great acting by Cranston. Good bitch job by Helen Mirren who played Hedda Hopper.

I concur with the 4/5 rating. I really enjoyed it

 

[Omar 382]

The Crow: 3.5/5 stars. Great first hour, then it kind of fizzled out. Brandon Lee was great, and Heath Ledger was definitely influenced by him in his portrayal of the Joker. Weird how they both die while the film was being made. RIP

 

[jvett77]

Bridge of Spies. 5/5. Excellent, one of Spielberg's best films. Coen brothers collaborated with the writing. Tom Hanks plays New York lawyer James Donovan, tasked with defending Russian spy Rudolf Abel played by Mark Rylance, then trading Abel for captured U2 spy pilot Powers in 1960.

 

[Cedrique]

Blood Ties 3/5. Movie set in the 1970's, made in 2013 but it reminds me of a 1980's made for TV movie. Two brothers, one is a cop, one is a criminal. It seems like this same plot has been done a million times. The brother who is the cop has to cover for the criminal, the fucked up family they had growing up, the dying father trying to make amends..... Also, normally I don't really care if there is gratuitous nude scenes but in this case one of the characters was Mila Kunis so that would have been a plus (but there was none). The first scene reminded me of a Tarantino film, but whoever directed this was no Tarantino.

 

[Omar 382]

I'm re-watching The Wire. The awesomeness of this show can't be measured quantitatively, at least not with our known number scale

 

[jvett77]

The Big Short, 4/5, takes a look at the origins of the 2008 financial collapse by looking at the activities of several groups of fund managers who bet against banks and the booming housing industry. Christian Bale plays Dr. Michael Burry, a surgeon-turned hedge fund manager who, after analyzing those industries, is able to predict their collapse, and even creates an investment instrument to take advantage of it, and make millions. It helps to have read the book first because the movie moves along a a rapid fire pace while also trying to educate the viewer.

 

[Cedrique]

God's Pocket 3.5/5 Stars. Kind of slow moving but interesting kind of dark comedy. Reminded me a little of Trees Lounge. Not much action but Philip Seymour Hoffman is good in it. It was good enough to at least make me want to check out the other films mentioned in this thread that he is in. The God's Pocket community is modeled after a section of South Philadelphia which is actually called "Devil's Pocket". It also reminded me a little of the blue collar workers in season 2 of The Wire

 

[Omar 382]

God's Pocket 3.5/5 Stars. Kind of slow moving but interesting kind of dark comedy. Reminded me a little of Trees Lounge. Not much action but Philip Seymour Hoffman is good in it. It was good enough to at least make me want to check out the other films mentioned in this thread that he is in. The God's Pocket community is modeled after a section of South Philadelphia which is actually called "Devil's Pocket". It also reminded me a little of the blue collar workers in season 2 of The Wire

If you want to see a great Phillip Seymour Hoffman movie (and performance) check out 25th Hour. A great fucking movie. And he's not in it much, but you also need to see Boogie Nights. Another really good movie. It's like Goodfellas but with pron instead of gangsters