For your ratings, what is your dividing line of something you consider to be watchable and something that’s not (aka won’t waste your time)?
I’ve found with slightly changing results lately that if a movie hits a 6 on IMDb, it’s never gonna be a waste of time if it has a decent amount of votes. That scale might have slid down to 5.8 lately as some movies I didn’t think were wastes of time have landed below 6. I wouldn’t have seen Moonfall if I didn’t do work for it most likely, but I think the 5.1 is a bit harsh. It did a good job of not putting me to sleep having to watch it after midnight on a work night, so that’s gotta be worth at least a 5.5. A 6? I’m not sure.
I’ve been intimidated for a bit by Do the Right Thing, due to its legend and the fact that I would feel especially weird about this one completely missing me given its reputation and its standing as a social justice movie. Most of the great canonical movies do connect for me, but occasionally something happens like me firing up The Seventh Seal and going “WTF is this shit,” so there are no guarantees. I really didn’t want this to be one of those.
Thankfully, it became obvious early that it was nowhere close to one of those situations, and the only open question was just how great it would be by the end. Really compelling wall to wall, paced perfectly, and builds to one of the strongest climaxes in the history of film. And, for a film that gets really heavy in some moments, it feels like it’s probably very rewatchable.
I have almost no notes. I mean, I don’t totally get what the gratuitous nude scene was about, and it sounds like that doesn’t have a great behind-the-scenes story, but almost everything else about the movie is absolutely transcendent. 5/5.
PSA: Perfect Days will hit Hulu tomorrow. It defies easy comparison to The Zone of Interest because it’s impossible to compare basically anything to The Zone of Interest, but for my money Perfect Days was the best international release of 2023 (and in my top five overall from the very strong year). I don’t often use the word “inspiring” to describe a movie, but that’s far and away the best descriptor I can apply to this one.
Even if you’re a spoilerphobe who has a tendency to shun trailers, you can likely watch this one if you’re on the fence at all about whether to see it, and maybe it will give you a better idea of whether it appeals to you or not. I say that this is likely a valid exception to anyone’s personal policy against looking at trailers because the plot isn’t really the point.
However, just taking my word for it and giving it a go when it hits Hulu tomorrow is also a valid choice. Highly recommended film.
mad max (1979) not great. there weren’t many great movies from this time that hold up. it reminded me of bullitt which i didn’t really care for either. at this time period people loved cars and driving cars really fast and loud exhaust sounds but i’m just not that into it in 2024. mel gibson is so young he’s unrecognizable. the action was okay if i give them credit for using all practical effects. 2 bags of popcorn
mad max 2 the road warrior blew my mind, watching it immediately after mad max (1979), the leap of level of quality in a film series has never before matched this leap, in the history of all cinema. godfather 1 to 2 was a leap but it wasn’t this leap. this is like if the sequel to i pronounce you chuck and larry was gangs of new york. a legitimate classic of action films and i’ll say of all sci fi too. really built a spectacularly interesting post apocalyptic universe while simultaneously making an excellent action movie. 5 bags of popcorn
mad max 3 beyond the thunderdome is a disappointment only in the sense that the exponential increase in the art of cinema didn’t continue from where we left off in mad max 2. it was just as good i guess. kind of a cash grab. 3 bags of popcorn
mad max 4 fury road. mad max is barely in this because the actor who played mad max in the first 3 movies was caught on tape verbally abusing his wife while repeatedly using the n-word. the lead character is a female abolitionist and i know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking “this is gonna suck. this is woke now. mad max is gone woke” but hear me out. this mf george miller was able to do to mad max 3 what he did to mad max 1, which is to turn up the artistic intensity to previously inconceivable heights. i was cumming the entire time the movie was playing. from frame 1 semen and sperm started shooting out of my penis and it lasted 120 minutes. across all genres, this is one of the best films ever made. 5 bags of popcorn
mad max 5 furiosa haven’t seen it yet. kinda tanked in the box office, reviews not really glowing. i’m gonna wait this one out, maybe catch it on streaming but needless to say i’m VERY much interested in a mad max 6
Yeah anyone who puts the original Mad Max up against Road Warrior isn’t being serious imo. No one ever heard of Mad Max until Road Warrior became a VHS/cable insta-classic among my generation.
I’m trying to think of another movie where the sequel blows the original out of the water like that.
Some might say Rambo because it took it to a whole different place. But First Blood is still objectively a much better movie.
I like Pitch Black, but Chronicles of Riddick is one of my favorite movies. But still not close to the Mad Max gap for me, and I know many like Pitch Black more.
People will point to T2. I’ve come around to the position it’s better than the original, but I don’t think I’d use “blown out of the water” or anything given how good the original is.
Even though A New Hope did insane numbers, I’d also argue that it was Empire that left a permanent mark of SRS bizness for the franchise. ANH was kinda goofy over time.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol was like the prototype for every GOAT MI movie we’ve gotten since.
It hit for me ( ~ 10 years ago) so I guess I had the right headspace in the moment since i can see how it’s tough to return to.
Anyone given Duel a watch recently? Not sure I want to corrupt that cult classic memory. Kinda looking forward to being an old man cloud jibbering about a 5 channel world to some yutes.
Right. I wanted to say Godfather, but it’s the same thing. The first movie was spectacular. It’s just that part 2 somehow elevated the franchise further.
