Last Movie You Saw, Name & Review Movie • Page 250

Gonna peep that this weekend

Did Locked this week and it felt very Trap-adjacent. Skarsgaard locked in car rigged by Anthony Hopkins. Big dumb fun.

 

I loved it

 

Some new and/or notable watches in April:

The Monkey - 8/10
So fun! I didn't know Perkins had it in him. Unlike Longlegs, this seems to know exactly the tone it's going for, and it nails King's voice better than maybe any adaptation of his work since 1408. Even when the writing feels a little on the nose or the third act goes completely off the rails, this is wacky enough in the kill department and visually interesting enough to stand out as something unique in Perkins' filmography. Don't believe the haters.

The Birthday - 8/10
For some reason, I was under the impression that this was a lost film, and while that may not be true, I'm hoping it finds a new audience on Shudder. Even with Feldman hamming it up, The Birthday is a darkly funny and feverish cosmic horror odyssey that would likely land well with the A24 crowd today. It's not particularly artsy, but it's strange enough in a Beau is Afraid type of way that it deserves to generate discussion amongst horror fans that might not know about it. Visually, it looks like it could have been released in the past 10 years, and the final "creature" design is pretty unforgettable. Don't miss this one.

Invoking Yell - 7/10
Nothing really happens in this movie -- there a lot of walking in the woods a'la The Blair Witch Project, and the scares never really pay off -- but for a certain audience that enjoys a) black metal and b) movies that feel like extended V/H/S segment, BOY is this simply a good vibe.

Opus - 6.5/10
Fun! A lot of the criticism I saw for this is that it mimics a bunch of other "weird things happen at an isolated location" movies, and to be fair, it it basically a 50/50 blend of The Menu and Midsommar beat for beat. But it also doesn't try to say anything deep, and at the end of the day, it's just a lot of fun to see this cast (especially Malkovich) get to do something weird. Far from ground breaking but worth the watch for genre fans regardless.

Mickey 17 - 6.5/10
Mostly good fun but good LORD did Ruffalo's space-Trump schtick take me out of it. We may have been spoiled by how thoughtful Parasite was, because this mostly feels like an exciting sci-fi adventure (complimentary) with some extremely surface-level satire (distracting). Cut about 20 minutes of that stuff, tighten it up a little, and this could have been great.

Abruptio - 7.5/10
Adult Swim Presents: A Scanner Darkly. Really uniquely dark and unsettling stuff, even if the reveal feels a bit "I'm 14 and this is deep." I've never seen the medium used quite like this and I don't expect to forget it anytime soon.

Ash - 6.5/10
The Thing, but in space, so also kind of like Life (2017), but with more distinct music and visuals. Pretty good even if it feels cobbled together from many pre-existing pieces. Flying Lotus obviously knows what he's doing when it comes to aesthetics and I hope he continues to grow.

Heavy Metal - 8.5/10
Truly taps into the primal 14-year-old boy in me. High fantasy and cartoon boobs are just too potent a combination. Animation looks like shit in the absolute best possible way.

 

The Wedding Banquet was amazing. I laughed. I cried. Give everyone involved all the awards

 

The Penguin Lessons - 9/10

what a beautiful film. I’m a mess

 

The poster and logline for this movie made me almost look right past it until I saw Peter Cattaneo directed it, which intrigued me.

 

it's probably not a true 9 out of 10 if I'm being honest. it just really got to me if that makes sense

 

Sinners - 10/10

 

An early contender for film of the year is called The Grand Tour and is streaming on MUBI and available to rent on other platforms. It is Miguel Gomes' best, most haunting film in over a decade, on the surface about an absurd cat and mouse chase depicted by an optimistic fiance and the man desperate to avoid it, but ultimately it's a travelogue of the journey East by Portuguese colonial history and the mix of beauty and mystery that is just beyond their understanding. It mixes the historical and the modern, documentary and staging, and it has one of the most beautiful 2001: A Space Odyssey callbacks you will ever see.

 

went to go see that movie Friendship but when i asked the theater worker where i might know that main guy from they told me to leave

the movie was a little long but very funny

 

Big day, No Country for Old Men in cinema tonight.

 

There is a 40th anniversary showing of Re-Animator at our theater tonight that I wish I could catch

 

I’m going to the premiere of Evil Puddle this weekend!

 

Same. I was bummed I missed Local Legends 2, so I'm excited to see this one.

Is there a concert with this one, too?

 

Looks like there are events for it all weekend with a show on Sunday. I’ll probably only attend the movie though.

 

Yeah in previous years when he did a MoternFest where it was a premiere, followed by a concert, my and my friends stayed for a couple songs, but I'm not into the music part enough to go for just that.

 

Death of a Unicorn - 5/10

somehow this managed to be even worse than I expected

 

I 100% should not have enjoyed Alex's War considering Alex Lee Moyer's...elusive...politics, but I can't help but find Jones to be a fascinating media figure and documentary subject. Works as an interesting companion piece to The Truth vs. Alex Jones.

 

The Smurfs: The Lost Village - 2/10

 

@Long Century requested I post my reviews in here. Here are the last few:

Pale Blood (1990)
As usual, I’m a sucker for the pinks and blues. The lighting saves some of the more monotonous scenes. Sure, I’ll watch Dracula build a coffin/sleeping bag tent that looks like he bought it with Marlboro Miles for 5 minutes as he’s drenched in an icy blue light.

There’s a shot outside the club that Agent Orange are playing at (the first time) where it looks like Mike Schank is walking down the street.

This dude’s hair is fucking nuts. I was going to make fun of him more but I got sidetracked down a rabbithole where I found out that the dancer Baryshnikov was on Sex and the City. I spent a chunk of this movie on my phone because of this.

Wings Hauser kills it. Van the Man. That fade from him yelling to Christ on the cross was something else. I put my phone down when he was on screen. You’ll be missed, Wings.

Jenny’s got a Wiseau accent.

Dracula chick’s apt rocks. I want the poster in her room

Eephus (2024)
Baseball’s Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets.

One From the Heart (1981)
Maybe I’ve been Megalopo-pilled (and reading the Coppola book —highly recommend!) but I am completely on this film’s wavelength. The colors, the neon, the very clear artificiality of it all. An incredible looking picture, every shot a painting. I can see this missing a broad audience due to how odd the structure is. It’s really a stage play, with FFC still toying with the notion of live editing to video. I love the transitions and double exposure- a common Coppola technique and a harbinger for Megalopolis in terms of how it does not even try to be grounded in reality. After the Godfather(s), The Conversation, and Apocalypse Now, this might appear like an odd man out; however it is just as ambitious and moving as any of the “major” works. The title obviously implies it, but this is FFC’s heart laid bare. It’s an artificial construction of Coppola’s true feelings of love coupled with the sorrow of his infidelity - a loveletter and an apology to his wife. It’s also, on a technical level, the remnants of his dream of Zoetrope Productions and the idea that he could live edit a film (much more on that in the book). It sunk him so much that he never really recovered. I am only midway through the book, in the preproduction stages of this film, but it’s so good that I am getting anxious to read about how bad the fallout is.


Garr is terrific. Raul Julia is terrific. Forrest is not, he looks like Simple Jack. The only true “bad” is the dumb running Waits duet commentary.

Don’t you know I’d sing to ya if I could sing to ya?

Soul of the Demon (1991)
Copped a Tomb of Terror set (on Ebay, for about $25, missing two discs) specifically for this bad boy and Reanimator Academy.

I absolutely loved this! Great 90s SOV Halloween hangout gem. Ambitious with a fun cast of amateurs and impressive gore. Vibe for the first half before shit goes nuts. Maybe my favorite SOV trash discovery of the year?

Running notes


-Intro instrumental track over the black and white gore was dope.
-This shitty metal ballad over scenic bmx footage? $25 well spent.
-Sick Canseco shirt!
-Sick haunted bolo tie!
-Older bro Josh is doing a Danny Zuko impression. Forget the mullet renaissance, bring that haircut back.
-Grade-A 90s suburbia here. Looks like the neighborhood every early 90s commercial that aired on Nick was shot in
-Billie Eilish dresses like Josh’s basketball fit
-So far this movie is just deleted scenes from Dazed and Confused. Pickford and his friends planning the beer bust at the Moontower-core
-I wish I had a friend that worked at a pizza place so that he could bring pizzas to our haunted house party before we all die
-Tubby Toby catching strays
-Wow that Evil Dead makeup rocks!
-I kinda like these characters? I mean taking up 45 mins of a 70 minute movie with hangout scenes is tough either way, but I’m enjoying myself. “Aw damn dude it smells like shit in here. Better check your pants!” “It’s a mix of Magnum PI, Dracula, and your fuckin mom, dude!”
-Wow when the gore hits, it fucking hits! Holy shit!
-RIP Pizza Dude. At least you went out with some shitty pink Predator vision and a solid head twist
-Oh man that bedsheet kill! Oh man the cleaver kill! Sparing no expense with the moving eyes.
-The Final Guy(s)
-Gnarly gutbuster
-Love absolutely everything about this final showdown, especially the previously on-ass kill recap
-Real casual convo after that spine rip
-Bolo tie guy is rude as hell

 

Just copying and pasting that review made me turn on One From the Heart again. What a film.

 

I loved Evil Puddle so much. Honestly one of my favorite movie experiences ever and while I’m sure the crowd helped, it was the most I’ve laughed at one of these movies with the exception of maybe Riverbeast. The sultan of the House of the Pizza stuff was so fucking good (and he was sitting directly in front of me). I truly feel so grateful to have attended and to have discovered Motern. Only instant regret is that I was not feeling sociable today so I didn’t say hi to Matt or anyone else.

 

Dude don’t feel bad I always feel so awkward talking to artists I respect. Matt came over and said hi to me and my friends and we made Celtics small talk for a few minutes but that was it.

I loved the movie so much. Honestly on a tier with Riverbeast for relentless hilariousness. “This House of Pizza has become a house of horrors” had me laughing so hard I almost couldn’t get it back under control. Everything in that subplot was hysterical. I think I involuntarily almost shouted “Chekhov’s soda machine!” at one point.

 

hahaha yes that line was so good. so many lines killed me.

if you happened to notice someone wearing a mask, that was me!

 

I think I did see you there.

Honestly I was unprepared for how…attention-grabbing most people’s outfits were. Felt kinda schlubby in my hoodie and shorts. Haha

Amusingly, I was a row behind Sharon Scalzo, who I don’t think ever comes to these things and she seemed to be like dead center between “whoah people asked for my autograph?!” and creeped out. Haha