Cont’d.
Horrible Bosses and Horrible Bosses 2 - Mirth and merriment all the way, joyful enjoyment and Charlie Day.
Stuber - It really isn't that bad! It's stupid funny, and I liked it. Batista is really good at physical comedy, but then again, he used to be a wrestler.
Halloween (2018) - It's not perfect, but still excellent.
Halloween H20 - It's "decent", but I can honestly do without it. I get where they were trying to go, but the execution wasn't really that good.
Halloween Resurrection - This movie fucking sucks; I'd rather watch H20 on loop any day over this grandiose piece of un-pasteurized shit. Hell, I'll take the android crap from the third movie over this, straight up. Busta Rhymes should stick to doing just that.
Halloween and Halloween II (Rob Zombie) - Contrary to the online consensus, I liked what Rob did with the first movie, the way he approached the story and the overall performances of the cast; however, the second one lost me entirely with its Friday the 13th coked-up fever bootleg dreams. I like Rob and all, especially his music, but I think his take on the franchise should've been a one-and-done deal; the way the first movie ended was great, very serviceable.
The Predator - I liked this movie a bit here and there, but it's a mess; I wish they had deterred from using the hounds and gone without using autism so disparagingly, which Jacob Tremblay didn't really do a good job portraying, if I'm being honest. The alternate ending meant to include Ripley and Newt would've been nice, but I'm glad they went against it, so hopefully the day they intend to tie in the Alien franchise it's done in a way that makes sense and not just for the sake of adding it in. Anyway, here's hoping the upcoming prequel to the series isn't a bust.
Christine - It's still great after all these years. I'm surprised it's taken Hollywood so long to—undoubtedly—bastardized this one. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
The Curse of La Llorona - The myth behind the weeping woman has always been intriguing, but this movie was just awful. On the upside, it was nice seeing Tuco again.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Top tier trash. Hearing the Jedi calling out to Rey was admittedly cool, though.
The A-Team - Maybe it's the fact I grew up watching re-runs of the TV series, but I seriously love this movie.
Downsizing - This movie had a nice concept going for it, but it got a tad too preachy, although it's not exactly a bad movie as some would lead to believe. However, I happen to agree with Dušan (Waltz) that Paul (Damon) was a rather pathetic simpleton up until the end. One of the scenes that I really liked, even if it was a short one, was during Paul's first visit to the slums where people were watching a Cantinflas movie—"Sube y baja" ("Up & Down")—on a makeshift outdoor cinema, which put a rather big smile on my face.
Safe - An okay action flick. It's a Jason Statham movie, so you get what you expect.
The Spy Who Dumped Me - Meh. These types of "comedies" need to die for a while...
Let's Be Cops - I think this movie is underrated; it's actually a good comedy that's actually a good buddy cop action flick that's well worth the watch. One of the reviews for the movie at the time states that Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans, Jr. "lack chemistry", but it's the total opposite when their rapport is what drives the movie.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - This movie is etched in my memory since childhood. This is without a doubt one of my top favorite movies by Spielberg.
Midway (2019) - More like "Mehway". Pretty schlocky.
Pearl Harbor - Second time seeing this movie since the first many years ago, and still don't like it.
Armageddon - The only thing that came from this movie that I genuinely like is Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". Other than that, this movie can suck an egg. "Deep Impact" is ten times better.
Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2 - No blurb needed for these two, just watch them if you haven't already; they're all-time classics, and easily two of the best movies Richard Donner directed and Shane Black wrote. Soundtracks are top-notch, too! I hope we get to see "Lethal Finale" in this lifetime.
Alien vs. Predator - At least Milla Jovovich isn't in it...and that ain't saying much.
The Fugitive and U.S. Marshals - Both are good, well worth the watch if you like action movies, and Tommy Lee Jones.
Spider-Man: No Way Home - Spidey has been one of my favorite superheroes since childhood, so I had a blast watching this one all the way through; seeing all three Spider-Men together was beyond every adjective Marvel has ever used to describe Spider-Man and then some. Nonetheless, just like with "Far From Home", there were some inconsistencies and missed beats here and there. I'm not exactly spoiling anything, but for the sake of
SPOILERS: I wish we got to "meet" the other two Spider-Men in a different way than what we got, especially considering the events that had transpired throughout the movie before that point. Also, Aunt May...I mean, I know that whole scenario was important and THAT one line is a crucial part in Peter's life, but I think there could've been a better way to handle that entirely. All in all, I enjoyed the movie: seeing Dafoe again as Green Goblin was a treat, and the character's redesign looked slick; Molina was once again great as Doc Ock; the many nods and references were on point; and that last shot of Spider-Man swinging around Rockefeller Plaza with his new duds was, simply put, amazing—he's no longer the Iron Lad, he's now Spider-Man without a doubt. I'm now eagerly awaiting "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness", especially since Raimi is directing it and a certain someone is apparently set to appear in it, which undoubtedly will make the movie a hundred times groovier. With all that said, I'm still going over the fact "One More Day" was basically adapted into a movie.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood - Great biopic; it's wholesome and with an accurate title.
Edge of Tomorrow - I can't get enough of it whenever I catch it on TV, great sci-fi flick. I've been meaning to read the novel/manga, but have yet to.
Minority Report - This movie is rather messy, but it works well. Also, look no further than the super highway chase scene if anyone ever wondered what an F-Zero movie would look like. Crazy to think this one's nearing its 20th anniversary.
A Bronx Tale - This is an excellent movie, and I can't recommend it enough; I find it hard to pass it up whenever I catch on TV.
Heat - One hell of a movie, one of the best heist movies ever made; it's a must-watch.
Casino - This is Scorsese at his best. The way Joe Pesci's characters are "taken care of" in both this and "Goodfellas" is freaking wild, and as weird as it may sound, near cathartic given the nature of their character.
The Revenant - I’ve watched this movie multiple times now; I think it's a masterpiece.
Jumanji: The Next Level - Very enjoyable sequel. DeVito's character felt like a safe for work version of Frank Reynolds.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - First time watching again in a long time. It's got the usual summer blockbuster flare, but entertaining as all heck, and quite unapologetic. It's a lot better than its sequel, but I've no input on the reboot since I haven't watched it yet.
The Intruder - Pretty fucking dumb.
Action Point - It's good, stupid fun; it's a movie based on Action Park starring Johnny Knoxville, so you know what to expect. If you like Jackass and any of Knoxville's other related performances, then you'll like or find something to like about this movie.
Gone Girl - Well-written dark comedy—yes, dark comedy. The end didn't particularly do it for me, truth be told, but does seem like something that would actually happen in real life, so it's okay, I guess. Looking forward to the sequel...if it ever happens...
Green Book - "Driving Miss Daisy" in reverse, as I read the kool kids calling this one somewhere around the 'Net. Quite frankly, it was a good road movie, very enjoyable; I liked seeing the two differing world-views juxtaposed between the two characters, especially given the time period the movie takes place in. Sure, the movie has its faults, but it's still a great watch with equally great performances, and it offers a good story about redemption. Perhaps if they named the movie differently...but then again, it's more than just racism...
Widows - Good movie with great performances all around.
Bloodshot - So this is supposed be the stepping stone of the Valiant cinematic universe? Yikes. They missed the opportunity to sire the whole shebang with X-O Manowar. Heck, Quantum and Woody would've been a better choice.
Bad Boys for Life - I'm going to be honest, I had my laughs here and there, and some of the action scenes were good, especially during the final act (CGI fire excluded), but I kept zoning out from this movie; it felt like an off-brand offshoot spin-off of "Fast and the Furious"—I kept watching to ogle at Kate del Castillo and Paola Núñez. I think this movie would've better serve as a proper send-off for Mike and Marcus, make it their "last ride", so to speak, to close the trilogy. The first movie is still the best one.
Predator - Never gets old and I think still holds up three decades later. As much as I like the second one, and think "Predators" was good, no other movie in the franchise has ever been able to top this one. Hopefully "Prey" won't be another failure; otherwise they might as well euthanize this franchise for good.
Charlie's Angels (2019) - I literally fell asleep... That opening scene with that stupid-ass song and montage was mind-numbing.
Get Out - I like this one better than "Us", it felt way more grounded and less trippy, which I know probably sounds ridiculous. Mind you, is not that I don't like an off-kilter story with nightmarish logic like "Us" has, but the revelation near the end and the plethora of holes it opened took me out of it.
Gods of Egypt - Oh my Yukh...
The Last Witch Hunter - Vin Diesel is a D&D nerd, so I guess this works. Personally, I believe the movie had video game potential and think could've worked better that way instead, all it needed was sprucing up the story they had and expanding it. Overall, it's an average modern sword & sorcery movie that happens to have a great deal of worldbuilding.
Bad Times at the El Royale - I really enjoyed this one; visually appealing, great performances, excellent soundtrack—a must-watch.
The Recruit - My dick's on fire! That pretty much says it all...
Face/Off - This movie is so freaking good, still to this day...and its got Gina Gershon in it. There's apparently a remake in the works, which really saddens me.
2012 - The special effects are pretty much the main attraction, but then again it's a Roland Emmerich movie, which I'd file under the "so bad is good" category.
Eraser - Top tier action movie—such a satisfying ending. Just like "Face/Off", there's apparently a remake of this movie in the works. Sad times we're living in.
Truth or Dare - Terribly bad shit.
Black and Blue - Terribly good shit.
Live Free or Die Hard - You know what, here’s the thing about Die Hard 4. Die Hard one, the original, John McClane was just this normal guy. You know, he’s just a normal New York City cop, who gets his feet cut, and gets beat up. But he’s an everyday guy. In Die Hard 4, he is jumping a [police car] into a helicopter. In air. You know? He’s invincible. It just sort of lost what Die Hard was. It’s not Terminator.That said, I like it for what it is; it's a good action flick.
Die Hard with a Vengeance - Really good threequel, the last great chapter in the Die Hard series before Willis started doing his perfunctory acting routine. I think the series should have ended with this one, sort of like how Lethal Weapon was originally intended to end with the second one, which is ironic I mention that given the script for this movie was originally intended to be "Lethal Weapon 4". What's crazier is Bruce Willis declined the original script, which ended up becoming, "Speed 2: Cruise Control".
NOTE: I know taking a jab at his acting chops seems somewhat uncalled-for given the recent news, but he's been phoning it in way before he started doing all these recent movies anyway, so... It was all in jest. I certainly wish him the best.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit - It's good, but doesn't hold a candle to the other four entries in the series.
Spider-Man 3 - While the weakest in the Raimiverse trilogy, I think it still has a certain charm to it that makes it
tolerablelikable, if only for it's "campiness" and meme status. I wish the studio and Avi Arad hadn't intervened so that we could've gotten what Raimi truly had in mind, and then eventually, possibly get the fourth movie, which we technically did with "Homecoming". Flint Marko/Sandman was a great character that was unnecessarily made second fiddle to Venom, not to mention, casting Topher Grace as Eddie Brock was a fantastically bad choice—the worst casting call ever.
Triple 9 - Pretty good; it kept me glued to my seat until the end, and all-around great performances, too. Casey Affleck's character constantly chewing gum was annoying as hell, though.
Peppermint - Basically the female equivalent of "Death Wish" and "The Punisher", but with a semi-dull edge. It's still an okay action flick, just nothing that's going to break new ground.
Brightburn - I recently read "DC House of Horror" for the first time, a one-shot comprised of eight short stories by Keith Giffen (among others), the first of which is a horror take on Superman's origin named, "Bump in the Night", which was clearly the inspiration behind this movie. Actually, I find humor in this given I've watched this movie multiple times, and I can't help correlating the kid with Goku, but without the literal bumping of the head. Frankly, the more I watch this movie, the less I like it, but still think it needs a sequel to help tie loose ends and maybe further develop the whole "alien baby sent to subjugate Earth" angle.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - Well, that was one hell of a fucking ride...like some devil shit or some such.
Dreamkatcher - Wow. This thing was unbearable to watch. Watching Henry Thomas acting as an adult compared to him when he was a kid...it’s freaking night and day.