What timing! This thread should expire on 12/31, as will 2019. How appropriate! I guess if we do our job, every thread will start on the 1st and end on the last day of the month two months later, which means this will happen every year.

Which, I guess, means I'm not all that special. WHAT ELSE IS NEW?

I haven't watched any movies, so this is just an introductory post. I am, however, trying to get the family to "Zombieland 2 - Double Tap" tonight.

In the meantime, fire away with the last set of reviews for 2019!


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[Edited 11/1/19 8:37am]

EmmaMcG said:

Terminator Dark Fate Much better than I was expecting it to be and far far better than every Terminator movie since T2. Having said that... it's not great. Some very questionable plot twists which I won't go into for fear of spoilers but one particular twist is totally unnecessary. Also, Arnie isn't in it enough. It's not a terrible movie but I don't see it being remembered in years to come. For me, and most people, The Terminator franchise will remain as "two movie series". Dark Fate is a step above the other sequels but unfortunately I think it also spells the end. It's just not good enough to warrant yet another sequel. Overall, I'd give it a 2/5.

I feel that way with the Halloween movies and the Alien movies

Parasite (Gisaengchung) (2019)

All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.

A darkly comedic take on class and ambition from Oldboy director Joon-ho Bong. It was funny and gripping from beginning to end.

HARRIET (3.5 stars out of 5). It is definitely worth seeing due to the story and a good lead performance. I would give it a 4 out of 5 for entertainment, but just 3 out of 5 for artistry. It is your typical biopic but covering an interesting topic.

Extra Ordinary 5 / 10

Was ok

logger said:

Extra Ordinary 5 / 10

So....it was just ordinary and not Extra Ordinary?

Motherless Brooklyn 7/10.

Check out the film Dreamscape. Good crap.

I saw the documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool last week. It was excellent. (And, yes - there was a mention and video of Prince.)

Genesia said:

I saw the documentary Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool last week. It was excellent. (And, yes - there was a mention and video of Prince.)

Going to have to see this soon. I am reading his autobiography at the moment. He mentioned Prince once (so far - only 100 pages in) when talking about the styles of horn playing that Charlie Parker used and one of them was, as Sonny Rollins used to call it, "pecking." A quick glance at the back of the book tells me that P will be mentioned again, but this was in reference to the short horn phrasing that Prince liked to use at the time.

Windows - 3.5 stars out of 5 - Finally saw it after originally planning to see it in the theatres.

The Lighthouse: 6/10

gandorb said:

Windows - 3.5 stars out of 5 - Finally saw it after originally planning to see it in the theatres.

I mean Widows

Burning by Lee Chang-Dong, Based on the short story "Barn Burning" from the Elephant Vanishes by author Haruki Mirakami. I give it a 5/5. It was my first Korean movie and it's one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's a slow burner and you gotta have a certain level of patience for this one, also the movie doesn't seem to go anywhere. It's a shutter Island type of concept, but I'd say that burning takes it to another level with the ambiguousness.

I'm trying to explain the Plot a little (POSSIBLE SPOILERS): Jong-Su, played by Joo Ah-in is an aspiring novelist who performs odd jobs in Paju. One day he runs into an old classmate, Hae-Mi, played by Jeon Jong-Seo. But Jong-Su doesn't recognise her and she tells him it's because she had plastic surgery, that's why she looks different. She then tells him that she's going to africa for two months and asks him if he's feeding her cat while she's gone.

Two months later, Jong-Su comes to pick her up from the airport, but Hae-Mi is not alone. Ben, played by Steven Yeun, introduces himself and it seems he's Hae-Mi's boyfriend. Wich already seems to concern Jong-Su.

And Ben is kind of strange, he explains he never cries, when he's asked about his job (since he's rich) he says he's just having fun and playing. And eventually he tells Jong-Su about his unusually hobby, burning down greenhouses. According to Ben, he's doing it every two months and the feeling he describes makes him look like a psychopath. The next day, Hae-Mi is gone. And so you have to come to your own conclusions about what happened to her. Did she leave on own terms? Is Ben involved? Is she dead or alive? The movie demands you to think for yourself, to process what you see and what the characters say. We see the movie from Jong-Su's perspective and you'll learn that he's not really a reliable source of information. There's also a lot of metaphors, but I don't go into them here.

I'm still trying to make up my mind about what happened I love that this movie makes you think for yourself instead of explaining itself.

[Edited 11/7/19 12:56pm]

[Edited 11/7/19 12:57pm]

Little late (2010) but...

Winter's Bone - *****

Not sure why I liked it as it's pretty dark but I think because of it's authenticity.

S2DG said:

Little late (2010) but...

Winter's Bone - *****

Not sure why I liked it as it's pretty dark but I think because of it's authenticity.

yes, it is a really good movie!

Joker (2019) - In Gotham City, mentally-troubled comedian Arthur Fleck is disregarded and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime. This path brings him face-to-face with his alter-ego: "The Joker".

I thought it was very good--highlighted by Joaquin Phoenix's disturbing portrayal of the titular character. I would not mind a few more comic book films that challenged audiences like this one did. 4/5

EmmaMcG said:

Last Christmas Given that I know several people who worked on this movie, including some of its cast, I admit to feeling a little bit bad about saying this but this movie is terrible. Truly terrible. It's a romantic comedy which is neither romantic nor funny. And its big twist ending is so predictable. I won't spoil it but if you know what the set up is, you'll know exactly what happens. Seriously, the most obvious "twist" I've ever seen in any movie. The George Michael songs are nice and put this movie pretty much on the same level as Graffiti Bridge. Shit movie with a good soundtrack. In fact, it's a better soundtrack than Graffiti Bridge but believe it or not, it's a worse movie than Graffiti Bridge. 1/5

Doesn't seem like your type of movie

Just got back from seeing this. Wasn't expecting much but it was probably my favourite film of the year. If Felicity Jones doesn't get an oscar nomination the world has gone mad.

kpowers said:

EmmaMcG said:

kpowers said:

Doesn't seem like your type of movie

I'll watch pretty much any type of movie. Unfortunately this one is awful.

The Washington Post's review headline:

"Is 'Last Christmas' a terrible rom-com or a terrible Christmas movie? Spoiler alert: It's both."

EmmaMcG said:

Last Christmas Given that I know several people who worked on this movie, including some of its cast, I admit to feeling a little bit bad about saying this but this movie is terrible. Truly terrible. It's a romantic comedy which is neither romantic nor funny. And its big twist ending is so predictable. I won't spoil it but if you know what the set up is, you'll know exactly what happens. Seriously, the most obvious "twist" I've ever seen in any movie. The George Michael songs are nice and put this movie pretty much on the same level as Graffiti Bridge. Shit movie with a good soundtrack. In fact, it's a better soundtrack than Graffiti Bridge but believe it or not, it's a worse movie than Graffiti Bridge. 1/5

Looks and feels like a made for TV movie that would air on the Hallmark Channel.

Ace said:

kpowers said:

EmmaMcG said:

ThatWhiteDude said:

EmmaMcG said:

That's exactly what it's like.

This movie's in theaters in my area, but a movie like Parasite isn't.
[Edited 11/10/19 15:43pm]