What Did You Watch Today? 2024 edition

[GhostMachine]

On 27/12/2023 at 01:17, LittleDaniel said:

I just watched the most tonally confusing movie I've ever seen -- A Little Piece of Heaven. It's a made-for-tv movie from 1991 starring Kirk Cameron, a young man with a heart of gold who wants to make a real difference in the world. And how does he do that? By kidnapping ~10 year-old Jussie Smollett and ~5 year-old Lacey Chabert to keep his developmentally-disabled sister company (and also kinda for cheap farm labor), of course!

Smollett is kidnapped when Kirk Cameron stuffs a brownie with sedatives and sticks the brownie in a random bed at an orphanage. When Smollett wakes up on Kirk Cameron's pig farm, he's confused, but don't worry Kirk Cameron is there to comfort him. Kirk tells Jussie that he died, this is Heaven, you can never ever leave, also you've gotta stop speaking AAVE. Smollett is skeptical though, so the next time Kirk Cameron kidnaps a child (his sister wasn't happy with the first; she wanted a girl!) he dons an angel costume before he goes to Lacey Chabert's house. He says that he's her guardian angel, that she died of a stroke, and she has to come with him to the "Heaven." 

 

With that in mind, here's the trailer:

 

It's a horror movie that thinks it's airing on Hallmark. It's also suuuuuper religious, to the point that the version I watched was ripped from a re-release of the movie distributed by an arm of the Mormon church. And it...kinda slaps??? The score was nominated for an Emmy, the acting is so much better than I expected going into this, fucking Cloris Leachman is in it! But it's absolutely awful for so many, many reasons. But also I love it.

If Kirk Cameron is in it, its pretty much a guarantee its going to be super religious, and possibly shit. He doesn't work in mainstream Hollywood anymore because he's one of those annoying, obnoxious types who think they're better than everyone else because they're religious, and I've not watched much he's done since a movie or two a few years after the show Growing Pains. That movie wasn't one of them. (GP ended in `92)

Sadly, his sister Candace Cameron Bure has shown her true colors with some comments she made about `traditional values and relationships' when she left Hallmark for Great American Family. (Hallmark has done movies with gay and lesbian characters, with Jonathan Bennett doing some pretty good ones.) Hallmark pretty much responded to her leaving by rebooting her Aurora Teagarden movie series to when the character was younger with a new cast AND giving her Full and Fuller House co-star Jodi Sweetin more roles and her own franchise. (Jodi is a better actress, so BONUS!)

Hallmark movies are formulaic: Couple gets together, around the last 45 minutes to half hour there's some confusion, lie (by somene else) or misunderstanding that appears to break them up, and they're back together within the last 10, kissing at the end more often than not. But a lot of them are still entertaining, and even the ones with religious overtones aren't overly preachy. (Heidi is a Hallmark movie addict, but I don't mind if certain actors are in them. Especially Lacey Charbet, Taylor Cole, or Tyler Hines. But Taylor Cole hasn't been in many lately. Hate the Christmas in July movies, though.)

 

Edited January 12 by GhostMachine

[LittleDaniel]

All my mom watches is Hallmark movies, to the point where I've visited and watched the same Hallmark movie twice in three days. So, I hate Hallmark movies lmao, but good on them for not being GAF.

[GhostMachine]

23 minutes ago, LittleDaniel said:

All my mom watches is Hallmark movies, to the point where I've visited and watched the same Hallmark movie twice in three days. So, I hate Hallmark movies lmao, but good on them for not being GAF.

The only reason I tolerate them is because they have some fairly attractive female actors *, plus several of both genders who are actually good. Before CCB showed her true colors, I was already annoyed because her acting is straight up cookie cutter. Danica McKellar also bolted for GAF, by the way. Lacey Charbet signed a new contract with Hallmark in October, but I don't know how long it is for. 

*Taylor Cole, Pascale Hutton, Hunter King, Lacey Charbet, Bethany Joy Lenz, and Rachel Leigh Cook, especially.

Merritt Patterson, who was on that list, apparently went to GAF a few years ago.

Edited January 12 by GhostMachine

[Roster Depth Sicko No. 2]

The Brothers Sun on Netflix is great stuff, really hope it gets renewed.

[GhostMachine]

Lift. Basically, think Mission: Impossible, except they're actually crooks, an Interpol agent is working with them....and the team leader is Kevin Hart. Its an action/heist film with some comedy, but not anything bust out laughing level.

I'm already hoping for a sequel.

 

[stokeriño]

Every time I rewatch Tron Legacy I am confronted by how thoroughly average its writing is, but god damn I just love its vibe so much.

[RazorsEdge]

I finally got around to watching Barry recently and just finished it off today after having it recommended by a few people. I really enjoyed the show but I'm not sure how I feel about the last 4 episodes. I couldn't believe the ending for Cousineau.

[Colly]

On 24/01/2024 at 20:16, stokeriño said:

Every time I rewatch Tron Legacy I am confronted by how thoroughly average its writing is, but god damn I just love its vibe so much.

There's another one coming, if they can do vibe and plot that would be lovely.

Legacy is fully propped up by Daft Punk's soundtrack and Michael Sheen playing David Bowie for no reason, and I'll keep watching it for thst alone.

[King Ellis]

I finally got to see The Iron Claw, it's not out until later in the week but I got a free ticket to a screening tonight thought something that I think runs in conjunction with the BFI and National Lottery. I said as much on Twitter but, despite knowing all the major plots points in that story, it's still a very tough one to get through. It's kind of interesting in that way though, obviously the optimum way to see any movie is to go in blind but here it almost builds this sense of dread in you because you know exactly what's coming. Like when they're building up to the proposed David von Eric vs Ric Flair feud and Fritz is like 'You're going to Japan, son'. To anyone else it's built up to be this triumphant moment, but all I can think in that moment is 'Oh fuck...'.

Speaking of Ric Flair, boy howdy, I'd heard the hot takes over the last few months and were they ever right. Like, who watched that during production and say "Yeah, let's roll with that.". Maybe they didn't want someone to do a full on the nose, Jay Lethal level impression because it would be too distracting or whatever but it's laughable to people in the know.

And just to go back earlier in this thread, I will have no besmirching of Kirk Cameron. Saving Christmas is a great bad movie and I keep meaning to watch Left Behind in the hopes that will be similarly terribad.

[GhostMachine]

Ghosted and The Family Plan, both on Apple TV.

Recommend both, and both are funny as heck. But The Family Plan, the baby steals the show almost every time he's in a scene.

Hope there's a sequel to Ghosted.

I notice a mistake in Ghosted, which also has something hilarious as well:

Spoiler

Pause when they show Adrien Brody looking at the pad with Chris Evans' character's passport info on it. (Shortly after Brody shows up.) Evans' character is named Cole Turner, but the passport says Cole Palmer, and he's NOT undercover or anything. The funny bit? Read the rest of the pad below the passport.

 

[Cymbols]

Just finished a three-part series looking at the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster that’s on BBC iPlayer. Really interesting, with perspectives from a lot of people involved in the program - and a lot of footage from Mission Control as well. Would definitely recommend.

[Hobo]

Watched the 1989 East German movie Coming Out last night. It was one of the final movies made by the East German film state film studio and their only movie with openly gay themes.

It was a good movie, looked great, it feels very modern. Almost like it could've been a period piece made recently and edited to look 35 years old. There's also the completely fascinating thing about looking at a movie shot in pre-unification East Berlin.

Also watched Cool Hand Luke between last week and this week with my gf's dad. A movie where an attractive man goes to prison and hangs out in his underwear with all the other guys until they, and in particular one older guy, fall in love with him.

 

[gunnar hendershow]

I was rather blown away by Dune: Part Two. Just a near flawless sci-fi blockbuster.

[Lint]

Watched Thanksgiving from Eli Roth.  Thought it was a lot of fun!  Great throwback to 70s/80s slasher movies.  Lots of graphic, bloody kills

[Cymbols]

Anyone watch The Rig, on Amazon Prime? Thought the acting was a lot better than the plot, which sort of didn’t resolve anything. But not like in a cliffhanger kind of way, but more like a “we don’t really know where we’re going with this” kind of way.

Been given a second season though, so that’s nice.

[GhostMachine]

8 hours ago, Cymbols said:

Anyone watch The Rig, on Amazon Prime? Thought the acting was a lot better than the plot, which sort of didn’t resolve anything. But not like in a cliffhanger kind of way, but more like a “we don’t really know where we’re going with this” kind of way.

Been given a second season though, so that’s nice.

I thought it was a fairly good show. But, you're right. Nothing was really resolved or explained. 

 

[DFF]

On 04/03/2024 at 18:56, Cymbols said:

Anyone watch The Rig, on Amazon Prime? Thought the acting was a lot better than the plot, which sort of didn’t resolve anything. But not like in a cliffhanger kind of way, but more like a “we don’t really know where we’re going with this” kind of way.

Been given a second season though, so that’s nice.

I thought it was better than the CGI affects let it on to be. 

 

Also watched a couple of films for the first time in a while, the other day:

 

Barbie 3/5.

Decent-to-good throughout with some nice highlights.
 

Poor Things 4.5/5

Absolutely bonkers, beautifully shot and Emma Stone deserved her award for the performance. 

[Lint]

On 12/03/2024 at 05:21, DFF said:

Poor Things 4.5/5

Absolutely bonkers, beautifully shot and Emma Stone deserved her award for the performance. 

I just watched this today and yea...just so absurd and bizarre and I absolutely loved it.  

Also, Emma Stone fucks....like a lot lol

[Colly]

We watched it at the weekend too, and as a couple who tend to not hugely enjoy Oscar fodder films we both concluded that it was weird yet strangely brilliant. It looked gorgeous too.

[Toe]

I watched The Favourite a few weeks ago and didn't realize it was a Yargos Lanthimos film when I started. It was fantastic, and it made me want to check out Poor Things. Wow - that movie just sucks you in and holds you the whole way through.