What Was The Last Movie/Anime You Watched?

[Cartagia]

Spider-Man: Brand New Day - The most like an actual comic book the MCU has felt in a long time, and maybe the first time NYC has felt like Marvel's NYC. On paper I don't like the idea of [REDACTED] being the primary antagonist of a Spider-Man movie (he has one of the best Rogues Galleries in comics... use them!), but I thought they actually really pulled it off, and gave us one of the best depictions of the character in film.

Some of the dialogue is stilted, and you can feel them really tugging on Bernthal's reins, but overall, solid as hell!

Open Range - Very possibly the greatest Western of the 21st Century with a terrific turn from one of the last great Western stars, and one of the all-time great Western shootouts. Wonderful picture.

[burningdoom]

Spider-Man: Brand New Day - The most like an actual comic book the MCU has felt in a long time, and maybe the first time NYC has felt like Marvel's NYC. On paper I don't like the idea of [REDACTED] being the primary antagonist of a Spider-Man movie (he has one of the best Rogues Galleries in comics... use them!), but I thought they actually really pulled it off, and gave us one of the best depictions of the character in film.

Some of the dialogue is stilted, and you can feel them really tugging on Bernthal's reins, but overall, solid as hell!

Open Range - Very possibly the greatest Western of the 21st Century with a terrific turn from one of the last great Western stars, and one of the all-time great Western shootouts. Wonderful picture.

Right? I loved how the new Spider-Man felt. I've always had issues with Tom Holland's Spider-Man. He always felt like a teen sidekick looking up to the Avengers, which was NEVER the case in the comics, he held his own. Here, he felt like his own character, the character from the comic books. And I loved that.

[Cartagia]

Wandering Ginza Butterfly - There's a bit too much plot crammed in here for an 85 minute runtime. Thought it was cool it turned into The Hustler for 10-15 minutes before a pretty violent finale.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones - It was already an uphill battle when George decided he was going to write a romance. It became an insurmountable summit when he cast two actors with absolutely zero chemistry to be the heart of that poorly written endeavor.

John Williams and the big action finale are what save this from being totally worthless.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie - Thought this was much better than the first one. Jokes and references not as forced (for the most part), and it looks incredible.

[Cartagia]

Rear Window - One of those films where I knew a huge amount of it going in, but I had never sat down and watched it front to back. Not much to say that hasn't been said before. It's Hitchcock, Jimmy Stewart, and some of the best set design of all time.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith - Best of the prequels, and the most I've enjoyed it maybe ever, but it is still a deeply flawed movie.

I know he has his defenders, and his performance is much better here than Attack of the Clones, but I think Hayden Christensen is just not good in this. His physicality is fine, even good in places, but he just does not have a handle on this dialogue. It is an issue that is exacerbated by the fact he shares most of his scenes with Ewan McGregor or Ian McDiarmid who are both really good, bordering on great here. Just makes his shortcomings with the material even more apparent.

Plotwise, Anakin's turn to the Dark Side works more than I remembered, but it is just how thoroughly evil he immediately becomes that is a tough pill to swallow. I get why he'd fall in with Palpatine, but to go from "Let's not summarily execute this guy, who I know has been manipulating an intergalactic war," to " I'm going to kill children for him," is insane.

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie - Impressed by how much it made me laugh jyst as much as I was by the production itself. Might have had some of the luster taken off by how much I learned about it ahead of time, but there's also a good chance I would have never seen it with zero context or hype.

Normal - It's fun! Good action, memorable characters, decent set-up. It has a couple of extra twists and turns that don't quite work, but overall it was a nice surprise.

[burningdoom]

Rear Window - One of those films where I knew a huge amount of it going in, but I had never sat down and watched it front to back. Not much to say that hasn't been said before. It's Hitchcock, Jimmy Stewart, and some of the best set design of all time.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith - Best of the prequels, and the most I've enjoyed it maybe ever, but it is still a deeply flawed movie.

I know he has his defenders, and his performance is much better here than Attack of the Clones, but I think Hayden Christensen is just not good in this. His physicality is fine, even good in places, but he just does not have a handle on this dialogue. It is an issue that is exacerbated by the fact he shares most of his scenes with Ewan McGregor or Ian McDiarmid who are both really good, bordering on great here. Just makes his shortcomings with the material even more apparent.

Plotwise, Anakin's turn to the Dark Side works more than I remembered, but it is just how thoroughly evil he immediately becomes that is a tough pill to swallow. I get why he'd fall in with Palpatine, but to go from "Let's not summarily execute this guy, who I know has been manipulating an intergalactic war," to " I'm going to kill children for him," is insane.

Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie - Impressed by how much it made me laugh jyst as much as I was by the production itself. Might have had some of the luster taken off by how much I learned about it ahead of time, but there's also a good chance I would have never seen it with zero context or hype.

Normal - It's fun! Good action, memorable characters, decent set-up. It has a couple of extra twists and turns that don't quite work, but overall it was a nice surprise.

Episode III makes sitting through Episodes I & II worth it.

[Cartagia]

Last Stand at Saber River - It has the structure and characterization of an Elmore Leonard story but none of the fire. It's not bad, merely servicable. Looking at the director's filmography I would not be at all surprised if this was the best thing he ever put his name on.

Congo - I love this stupid crappy movie.

Kingdom of Heaven - The kind of Director's Cut that gives studio interference the reputation of ruining movies. It can't fix all of the problems in the 3+ hour version, with most of that coming down to some very on the nose dialogue and a ho hum performance from Orlando Bloom, but it is tremendous step up in quality to a masterpiece nonetheless.

Coyote vs. Acme - I think my favorite thing about movie is that it never forgets to be a Wile E. Coyote movie. There's not more than a few minutes that goes by where he's not exploded or crushed or just generally getting dumped on.

Unbelievable that this almost became lost media.

The X-Files - It's wildly impressive just how seamlessly this slots into the show as an extension of the mythology arc while also being totally accessible to newcomers. It's a bit more successful as the former but it really is firing on all cylinders here.

The first 70 minutes or so are practically perfect as an X-Files conspiracy story, and while the main flaw of the back half is sidelining Scully, it was a Mulder plot first and foremost, that (wisely) expanded to Scully more and more as time went on.

[kamikazekeeg]

Got around to watching Weapons, mostly due to the director being the one on the new Resident Evil movie, which I might go see in theater possibly as I really want to see something good that is Resident Evil lol

That being said, I don't know if I liked Weapons a ton, it's overall very creepy, good tone, there's interesting camera work, and the movie broadly does a decent job...I guess my issue is with kinda the...overall reveal and ending, I'm generally someone that likes to know more about what is going on than having to piece it together.  Not that I need it for every movie, like if it's a ghost movie, I don't need that explained, but the stuff that happens in this is very weird, very little is explained, and I don't even know if there's enough to piece together.  Like they sorta have nods to what it might involve, but they don't really say anything explicit.  It's hard to explain while keeping it spoiler free, but it's such a weird ending to me.

Like of what I heard of Barbarian and now this, I am interested to see what the director does with Resident Evil, it should be actually creepy, and hopefully kinda weird and messed up, which is what I want.   Is it gonna be technically "true" Resident Evil? I've heard a few liberties are being taken as it's not REALLY adapting the canon, but I think this will be the closest thing we'll likely get to something that at the very least isn't just Paul W.S. Anderson wanting to make cheesy action movies with his wife, or low budget slop that pretends to adapt the actual games lol

[Cartagia]

Blue Steel (1934) - Meh. The first 10 minutes felt like it was setting up a chamber piece that seemed like it could have been interesting, but it went in such a boring and predictable direction.

Motor City - I admire the swing, even if it only clipped the ball. The big action climax is pretty rad, but it comes too little too late.

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas - Well, I just absolutely loved this. My opinion might be slightly tinged by seeing it on the big screen so soon after Dolly's passing (I definitely got emotional when she sang 'I Will Always Love You'), but it just an absolutely charming musical that is wildly ahead of its time while also feeling like downright old-fashioned from an overall production standpoint. It does wrap up kinda quickly, but as a whole package it is wonderful.

Mutiny - Statham seems a little more disengaged than usual, but the plot is fine, action is fine, it's 95 minutes. Great villain death.

Stowaway would probably be more accurate, but it doesn't sound as cool.

tony - Loved this. Loved that they didn't sand the edges of Bourdain. He's such a asshole. Other modern biopics are so lionizing. It reminded me of All That Jazz in that way. It's funny, it's heartfelt, and it has Antonio Banderas's best performance in years... maybe ever?

Maybe my favorite of the year, but with one big caveat. I hate that they felt the need to Hollywood-ize the ending with a big dramatic event. If it had a more low key climax this would be 5 stars.

The Blue Caftan - Wonderfully tender exploration of love, death, and new beginnings via a pretty specific relationship dynamic I have never seen before.

Murder, She Wrote: South by Southwest - Appropriately increased stakes from the show and an interesting Hitchcockian premise with lots of red herrings. I think the increased runtime doesn't quite work here, though, as it let's you marinate in the clues and mysteries longer, which has the side effect of making it all feel kinda obvious.

[Cartagia]

My Darling Clementine - That John Ford fella seems to know a little bit about making movies.  Terrific take on the OK Corral.

Onslaught - Cool, fun, and weird. Loses some steam in the last act, though. It had this really cool exploitation vibe that just slowly disaappears as the movie chugs along to the climax.

Wayne's World - Such an impressive piece of comedy. There's so much specificity to this fictional world and *everything* exists to make you laugh.

Remarkably Bright Creatures - Very cute.  Great performances from Sally Field and Lewis Pullman.

Edward Scissorhands - Tim at the height of his Burton-y powers.

Hope - Been a while since the last few minutes of a movie made me question if I liked it at all. Trying desperately to not let it taint the whole thing. It went from my favorite of the year to barely cracking the Top 10 in moments.

News of the World - Pretty standard episodic Western fare, elevated by some killer cinematography, Greengrass's direction, and America's most dependable dad.

Bugonia - Finally a Yorgos movie I can say I loved with no reservations. Also a new favorite Plemons performance.

Resurrection (2025) - Towering technical and aesthetic achievement that just never managed to really grab me. Probably didn't help that the first segment was far and away my favorite, so the rest of the film never lived up to it.

Against a Crooked Sky - Basically 'Baby's first The Searchers.' Not without its charms or some decent theming, but also not particularly well-made or acted.

Resident Evil - Best RE movie by miles while still also being Cregger's weakest. Pacing is great and it captures the feel of the games remarkably well for 90 minutes, but if this was the version with most of the comedy cut out, that is a very good call.

Triple Threat - It's really impressive how every few months Jesse V. Johnson just shows up with a new banger action movie that was funded by a food truck stuffed with ham sandwiches. Really dig how the three protagonists are from three different Wast Asian counties, but that also becomes the movie's biggest weakness when they have to start talking to each other in English.

[kamikazekeeg]

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare - Mostly wanted to watch this for Henry Cavill and Alan Ritchson and it's overall a fairly fine action flick.  I don't know if it does anything standout for what it is, kind of your bog standard "A group of crazy guys go out to accomplish a mission" sort of deal, though based around an actual mission that happened in WW2.  It's definitely not trying to be some realistic take, it's very over-the-top, comedic, it's thru and thru an action flick.  Great to see Cavill again, don't think I've seen him in his own movie/show since The Witcher, and I've always liked him.  Alan is great, I feel like it's kinda one of the best big and tough guys out there right now, where he has that huge presence you got from someone like The Rock, but is a better actor lol After watching him in Reacher and War Machine, it was nice seeing be a tad more ridiculous here (I've only really known of him since Reacher, but I know he did other stuff before it).

Overall, decent enough movie, bit of action fun.  Think I'm gonna see Resident Evil this week as it sounds quite good, got abit spoiled on it, but doesn't bother me too much. 

[kamikazekeeg]

Resident Evil (2026) - This is one of those rare situations, where as specifically a movie that is adapting something established, it's not good in that regard, but as something trying to represent the vibe of that thing, it does it pretty well.  What's here is basically a solid survival horror with a comedy edge.  I had seen someone compare it abit to Evil Dead, and to me it definitely has that vibe, where it's really horrific, but it's so ridiculous, that there's a number of funny parts.  Apparently it was gonna have more comedy, which I'm glad it didn't, as that would've made it a different movie if they had kept it, because it's still nightmarish and horrific, but the lead guy is really good in it as this regular dude just trying to deliver the package.

As a Resident Evil thing...I won't say specifically, but you can change "Raccoon City" and "Umbrella" in this and it can be basically it's own movie.  So yeah...It's the best Resident Evil movie, while technically not really being Resident Evil, but doing a lot to have that "Spirit of Resident Evil" in it.  It's good fun if you like a good horror flick.

[Cartagia]

Supergirl - Obviously cut to shreds by the studio, but the script is so mediocre that it is probably for the best. Does not help that Gillespie doesn't have the action chops, either.

Over Your Dead Body - When I saw this was a remake of a Norwegian film it all made sense.

China O'Brien II - Probably a little bit better than the first film because of how much more action there is. Still plagued by bad acting, mediocre fight choreo, and obvious stunt doubles.

[burningdoom]

Supergirl - Obviously cut to shreds by the studio, but the script is so mediocre that it is probably for the best. Does not help that Gillespie doesn't have the action chops, either.

Over Your Dead Body - When I saw this was a remake of a Norwegian film it all made sense.

China O'Brien II - Probably a little bit better than the first film because of how much more action there is. Still plagued by bad acting, mediocre fight choreo, and obvious stunt doubles.

I also just watched Supergirl. It was exactly as I expected...
It was mindless entertainment, and it was good for that. But it wasn't a Supergirl movie. Supergirl is not a drunken slob, and she sure as Hell isn't a murderer.

I'm starting to get a dislike for the Gunnverse. As a DC Comics reader, a lot of this is coming off as disrespecting the DC characters. Superman was great, I won't touch that one. But Creature Commandos are bunch of sexual deviants. Supergirl is a drunken killer. And it seems as if Tom King hates Hal Jordan (though I'm holding out hope there's some kind of twist comimg there). I'm also a bit salty they cancelled Booster Gold.

[kamikazekeeg]

Backrooms - This was a solid watch.  I've never specifically watched a lot that was directly Backrooms related, particularly the original stuff that kicked this all off with Kane Parsons videos, but I've casually seen stuff adjacent or wanting to be it for years in usually clip form more than anything in long form.  I can be someone that likes movies where there's a person trapped in somewhere strange, like The Cube, or strange anomaly type stuff you'd see with the tv show Fringe or the game Control.  Often I don't love not having an explanation for things, a movie ending weird like with Weapons, or it's very open ended "What do YOU think happened?", but I'm okay with that idea if it factors more into the scenario.  What is this weird liminal space? No one knows, that's what makes it terrifying and unsettling. 

That's what makes the Backrooms work.  It's unnerving how real it seems, but so wrong.  Yeah there can be monsters or creatures, but you can do something almost without that and still have it be creepy.  Wouldn't exactly make for the best "movie", but still.  I love the idea that whatever this...dimension...new reality...this space is, it's something that is seeing the world and re-creating it, but not able to truly do so right.  I'm not going to spoil anything, I sorta wish they had explored one of the characters abit longer before it went where it went, but it's not bad.  I'm really looking forward to the sequel now.

It's got me wanting to go check out Kane Parsons videos now.  He thankfully has the playlist properly organized so I can binge through everything.

*EDIT*
Adding onto this the Kane Parsons original videos and it's insane that a 17 year old made something with Blender as good as the original video and everything that followed lol Dump enough visual flicker and 90's video aesthetic onto something and you can make a full CGI world look like a real place.  It's definitely a good thing he shows the creature in it so little, because at least in the first video, it almost seems real till you see that weird creature.  Also smart keeping all the people in the hazmat suits for much of the videos as it minimizes the fact that it is CGI.  They showed a person or two midway, but it's very not clear with them and then they introduce some live action bits here and there, but I think he understands a lot of what he can get away with trying to keep the things looking fairly real.

Highly recommend finding the Kane Parsons Backrooms playlist and just going through it all, it's so insane that this guy was given 10 million bucks to make something that is functionally a continuation of his Youtube series.  You can watch it there and then watch the movie and get a different viewpoint, as a lot of his videos after the first one involve mostly people in hazmat suits and the company, or if you are like me, you go from watching the movie, to watching his videos and it all seems like background canon lore to that movie to expand it further.  It's kinda crazy to have this and it's all really engaging and well done I think.

*EDIT 2* Fully finished all of Kane Parsons stuff, it's really good.  Something I appreciate that I feel like a lot of the copy cat stuff that came afterwards did, they try to push a lot more of the extremes of the liminal space, huge water sources, a lot more monster stuff, but Parson does it all in a more grounded way I feel, like there are moments where he tips into the extreme, showing huge pits or massive, copied, areas, but he keeps everything relatively contained.  The big long "Found Footage" things often are just unsettling traversal things that can have a creature in it, which does get more interesting later on and his videos often come back to stuff setup in previous videos in cool ways.  I like that he's hinting at potential stuff with the creatures, but never gives us the strongest look at them.

It's often why I prefer suspenseful horror-type things that are built more on tension and atmosphere than jumpscares if possible.

[Cartagia]

The Fog (1980) - My second favorite John Carpenter film. The atmosphere is unparalleled.

Baskin - Some of the back half feels like a super-edgy haunted house, but overall I enjoyed this one. Cool vibes, good gore.

Godzilla: Minus One - I am so hyped for the new one!

Primetime - Powerhouse performances across the board, stylistic as hell, extremely funny at times, but I'm really unsure of what this movie wanted me to feel or think when it was over.

The End of Oak Street - Fun! Doesn't really bother to try to explain anything, which was the right call. Wish we got to see more of the widespread chaos of the neighborhood, but Anne Hathaway shoots a dinosaur with a rifle, so we'll call it a wash.

Red Rooms - The ickiest a movie has made me feel in a while. A haunting look at obsession coupled alongside an indictment of the modern glorification of true crime. Amazing how dirty this film can make you feel without showing any of the most heinous crimes.

House (1985) - Tonally confused, looks cheap as hell, soundtrack is terrible, not a good performance to be found, but still kinda ok?

House II: The Second Story - Probably a little better than the first because it has a better grasp on the tone, but still pretty boring. Ratzenberger does have one line that made me do a full belly laugh.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) - The best this has ever played for me. It's always been a movie I respected, but was never really sure that I liked it. The grit and grime can only carry it so far, and the only character that isn't a blank slate is Franklin, who is done no favors by the (purposely) irritating performance. Still, what works outweighs what doesn't.

Plan 9 From Outer Space - Charming in its own way, but deserving of the reputation of endearing but wholly incompetent.

I Saw the TV Glow - Exquisitely shot, terrifically acted, with some truly phenomenal world-building, but something has got to be done about the pace.

Cobra - It's cynical, self-serious, nearly incomprehensible trash. And it is also so much fucking fun with an absolute all-timer villain death.

High Plains Drifter - Clint is a real son of a bitch in this one, but there are a couple of real YIKES moments that stick out, even with the darker edge this has.

Operation Condor - The stunt choreo is a highlight (no surprise), but I'm finding that I really don't align with huge chunks of what this era of HK action films find funny. There's less of it here than the previous film, at least.

Dead Calm - Solid as hell thriller on the high seas. Wild seeing Nicole Kidman with actual curves in her face, and I'm always down for Sam Neill and Billy Zane.

Matchbox - What if the power of friendship was fueled by Matchbox™?

It's disposable fun that is way too long. Wears its tropes on its sleeve, and I liked the cast.

The Ward - The script is absolutely abysmal, and there's not a single good performance here. Carpenter's direction is the major saving grace, but you can tell his heart isn't really in it. It's campy stereotypical fun, if that's your jam.

Eephus - Beautiful in its simplicity and oddly touching. One of the best baseball movies ever made, while also being one of the most low stakes and unimportant narratives in a sports film. Real on a level that rivals Linklater's best.

The Mummy (2026) - Its's not that bad, really, but all I'm saying is Sam Raimi would have had this knocked out in 90 minutes, pulled less punches, and not put his name in the title.

Is God Is - Probably the most wholly unique film I've seen from this year so far. Just your typical funny, charming, dark, touching neo-Southern Gothic.

Lake Placid - A little too short and a little too glib, but it is a fun watch overall.

Silent Night, Dealy Night 4: Initiation - One of the better DTV horror flicks I've watched in a while. I think with just a little bit more money behind it, and maybe a couple of more names in the cast it could have been something really special.

Silent Night, Deadly Night 5:  The Toy Maker - What a deeply weird and wild movie. Crazy villain performance in the last act.

The Desperate Trail - The action is all pretty solid, and Florentino gives a pretty great lead performance, but overall there's just not enough meat on the bones plot or "tomance" wise. Outside of one scene Sam Elliot is wasted here. There are some wild music choices going on as well.

Arsenic and Old Lace - A 1940s serial killer comedy. Who knew?

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It - Looks terrific, and the opening act is solid, but it gets real boring after that.