If Lionheart and I combine our reviews, we'll have the perfect review of The Menu.

They come from the same brain and you'll never convince me otherwise 👇👇👈👉🤙

Violent Night was exactly what was promised, and delivered fantastically. I was somewhat worried they wouldn't live up to the premise, but they absolutely nailed it. Once it gets going it's just pure fun.

Watched Dealt, a documentary on Richard Turner, which was fucking amazing. For those who do not know Turner he is the greatest card sharp in the world, to the degree he is routinely brought into Vegas as a consultant. Can draw any card from a deck with masterful grace completely undetected. Also he is completely blind. Not legally blind. All he sees is pure blackness. So not only can he draw any card from a deck, he does it without ever being able to see the cards. He is also a legit black belt, which is equally as crazy. Doc deals with his insane life, between the cards and his lifelong fight against being limited by his blindness.

Dec 21, 2022 11:05:41 GMT RagnarokMike said:

Violent Night was exactly what was promised, and delivered fantastically. I was somewhat worried they wouldn't live up to the premise, but they absolutely nailed it. Once it gets going it's just pure fun.

I've been joking about this movie for weeks because it was such a ridiculous premise. I even recommended my parents watch it. I haven't actually watched it though.

Four Christmases (Seth Gordon, 2008)

Around this time last year, we had some sort of Christmas movie top 10 list. One of the movies that appeared is Four Christmases. I remarked that I had never haerd of this movie. I promised I would watch it and review it for 🤯.

Pi may not remember this, but here we are. The Acclaimed review has arrived.

Brad and Kate are an upscale San Francisco couple. Both come from dysfunctional families: divorced parents and obnoxious siblings with out-of-control kids so they disdain the idea of getting married or having kids. They try to avoid their families at Christmas by traveling abroad, pretending to be doing charity work.

Yes, I copied that opening paragraph from Wikipedia, but it's basically what I wanted to say as my opening paragraph. I admired these characters for rejecting the traditional norms and going their own way, but I assumed the movie would tell us that they are bad people for doing so and end with a lovely traditional Christmas dinner.

How glad I was to be wrong. Through unfortunate and comical circumstances, their scheduled flight to Fiji is cancelled, they get aired on national TV, and their cover is blown. They are obliged to visit their four parents for Christmas. What follows is a roughly 50-50 mixture of romantic character development between Brad and Kate, and OTT slapstick comedy involving the families. In their first Christmas, Brad gets ambushed by his MMA fighter brothers, being put in a variety of wrestling holds. The peak of the second Christmas involves Kate in a traumatic bouncy castle battle with a lot of children. This stuff is meant to be funny, in the same way Step Brothers is meant to be funny, or Christmas Vacation is meant to be funny. So not funny at all. This brand of boorish American comedy does not appeal to be.

Fortunately it's not all bad, because the other 50%, namely the relationship between Brad and Kate, is very human and relatable. These characters have their flaws, and learn about each other through these disastrous family gatherings, and they talk about their weaknesses, and they fall out, and they reconcile, and they grow. The structure is as you'd expect but the writing felt very modern, with respect to mental health and boundary setting and these mature adult themes. Dare I say it's ahead of its time in that respect? I also acknowledge that while I didn't like the comedy, these big comedy scenes were placed well and helped in keeping the narrative flowing smoothly. I also appreciated the more subtle comedy bits, in particular some of Brad's deadpan lines had me giggling.

Nothing I'd watch again, but I respect the ambition and the originality, and I liked it more than disliked it. I'll also argue that this isn't a Christmas movie. It's a romantic comedy that happens to be set at Christmas time. Just like Die Hard is an action movie that happens to be set at Christmas time. It's more of a Christmas movie than Die Hard, but I'd put this in the pure romcom camp.

Table 19

Table 19 (2017) is a film that I have been eagerly anticipating rewatching for months, and I am thrilled to report that it did not disappoint upon my 19th rewatch. From the very first frame, I was captivated by the nuanced genius and artistic beauty of this film.

The characters in Table 19 are all incredibly well-developed, each with their own unique personalities and backstories that are slowly revealed throughout the film. Anna Kendrick is a standout as the lead, Eloise, a former bridesmaid who has been demoted to table 19 after being dumped by the best man. She is joined by an incredible ensemble cast, including June Squibb, Stephen Merchant, Lisa Kudrow, and Tony Revolori. Each of these actors brings their own unique charm and charisma to the film, and their chemistry is electric.

But what really sets Table 19 apart is its emotional depth and subtlety. The film deftly tackles themes of love, loss, and the importance of family and friendship, all while maintaining a light and humorous tone. It is a film that will make you laugh, cry, and feel all the feels, and it does so with a deft touch that is all too rare in modern cinema.

One scene in particular that I found to be particularly underrated and underappreciated is the one where Eloise confronts her ex-fiancé and the new best man, Teddy (Wyatt Russell). In this scene, Eloise finally gets to confront all of the hurt and resentment that she has been feeling since their breakup, and it is a truly powerful and emotional moment. Kendrick delivers a gut-wrenching performance in this scene, and it is a testament to her talent as an actress.

As I watched Table 19, I couldn't help but be reminded of another underrated gem: Major Dundee (1965). Like Table 19, Major Dundee is a film that is full of heart and emotion, and it also features an incredible ensemble cast. And while the two films may seem vastly different on the surface, they both explore similar themes of loyalty, friendship, and the bonds that tie us together.

In conclusion, I highly recommend giving Table 19 a chance. It is a beautiful, poignant, and hilarious film that will leave you feeling uplifted and inspired. Lionheart (a.k.a. "PW's Pseudo Intellectual Dark Phoenix"), if you are reading this, I implore you to give Table 19 a watch with an open heart and mind. I promise that you won't be disappointed.

Garfield

A true classic. Definitely one of the top cat-based movies in all of history. It made me hungry for lasagna.

Dec 21, 2022 22:35:39 GMT @aaron said:

Garfield

A true classic. Definitely one of the top cat-based movies in all of history. It made me hungry for lasagna.

Dec 21, 2022 22:35:39 GMT @aaron said:

Garfield

A true classic. Definitely one of the top cat-based movies in all of history. It made me hungry for lasagna.

Plus it has Jennifer Love Hewitt in it, so it gets bonus points.

Glass Onion is fun. If you liked Knives Out pretty much more of the same. Batista is a lot of fun in this. He plays a twitch streamer.  Know not everyone likes Rian Johnson, but when he is in charge, he is amazing.  

A HILARIOUS take on Elon Musk, and a good evolution of the first film.

Third film being put together now.

DC League of Super-Pets

I think it's time for DC (and The Rock) to just stop making movies altogether now.

If you watched The Secret Life of Pets and imagined what it would be like if it was inferior in absolutely every way, this could be the movie for you!

I really can't see this appealing to anyone other than very very young kids - but literally any other CGI kids' movie would probably entertain them more.

The start was nice and the end was kinda nice too. The problem was just...everything else. 

The animation is no better than what Clone Wars was doing on TV in 2008. It's just not funny at all. There are a couple of cringy pop culture references (also not funny!) that will badly date it in a few years. Even the soundtrack is the most basic and generic stuff possible. I can only assume most of the budget went towards paying the cast, because everything else just has "2006 straight to DVD" vibes.

And this is meant to be Jessica Cruz. Really?!

Those hips doe.

Dec 24, 2022 21:11:08 GMT @aaron said:

DC League of Super-Pets

I think it's time for DC (and The Rock) to just stop making movies altogether now.

If you watched The Secret Life of Pets and imagined what it would be like if it was inferior in absolutely every way, this could be the movie for you!

I really can't see this appealing to anyone other than very very young kids - but literally any other CGI kids' movie would probably entertain them more.

The start was nice and the end was kinda nice too. The problem was just...everything else. 

The animation is no better than what Clone Wars was doing on TV in 2008. It's just not funny at all. There are a couple of cringy pop culture references (also not funny!) that will badly date it in a few years. Even the soundtrack is the most basic and generic stuff possible. I can only assume most of the budget went towards paying the cast, because everything else just has "2006 straight to DVD" vibes.

And this is meant to be Jessica Cruz. Really?!

The representation stuff is so bizarre to me as a white guy I really don't have any right to comment on it but I can't help but have an opinion. I feel like if I were black I wouldn't like all this representation very much. I seen the cell phone commercial where a fat black lady comes in and asks about their new deal "What about existing customers" she asks, in like the most racially stereotypical way like Aunt Jemima walked through the door. Then the old navy commercial with the white bitch saying hash tag before everything clubbing on the piano like she's whacked on xanax or something while they show black people dressed in old navy like zoo animals being showcased. The whole thing isn't even representation at all it's just businesses being on the safe political side and seems pretty offensively stereotypical and seems like just using a race of people like a checklist item. 

Kimi:

It was ok, lost interest in the second half of the film ironically when she starts going outside more.

Side note

I had a co-worker who was immensely agoraphobic and was tasked with going to the shops for the day. He lives on his parents property/business so he would do jobs to maintain the property not just sit around all day.

He instead managed to get a job as well as went out a lot more (just to the shops etc). Then the Covid lockdowns hit and it reverted a lot of his progress and he ended up getting fired.

He eventually got another job but hasn’t been the same since which is a real shame.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Gorgeous film, wish I would have seen it in theatres.
Isn’t as good as the original but that’s to be expected.

Troll

This was god awful and the troll looks like the happy merchant meme that Kanye would love.

I cringe anticipation when a character asks the other what they should name a certain area and she gives the most predictable answers ever.

The Stranger

This is a brilliant Australian film. I watched it having no prior knowledge it was based on the Daniel Morcombe case (which received intense media coverage) in Australia and found it really captivating. It’s more so about undercover work than the crime itself.

I HATED Troll. Was like an asylum version of Trollhunter.

The Happiest Season

We are still watching Christmas movies. This one is from last year and though I'm not a Kristen Stuart fan, this movie is well written, has a fun cast and just really excellent all the way around. Daniel Levy is of course one of the greatest things about it.

Knives Out

Not the kind of thing I'd usually be drawn to, but I loved it!

Definitely the kind of thing that will be even better with repeat viewings so I'll probably watch it again someday.

I've never seen anything with Ana de Armas in it before. I expected her to be some kind of femme fatale character for some reason, but she was really nice and I was rooting for her. Daniel Craig was excellent as the weirdo detective too!

I've watched my first part of Glass Onion, so I should have that finished by Thursday!

Whitney Houston: I wanna dance with Somebody

I’m glad they didn’t shy away from her bad relationships and drug problems but like most biopics it tries to spin it into a positive light toward the end despite everyone knowing the story doesn’t have a happy ending.

I had no idea she was in a same sex relationship/friendship (i suppose that was the plan) initially and seemed like her other partners were almost just merkins.



It flew by even at 2h 26m while glossing over some stuff, “oh she had a kid?” 20 minutes later her child is an adult. I’d rather fast paced than drawn out so it didn’t bother me too much.

Had the cinema to myself as well which is always nice.

Dec 26, 2022 20:45:26 GMT @aaron said:

Knives Out

Not the kind of thing I'd usually be drawn to, but I loved it!

Definitely the kind of thing that will be even better with repeat viewings so I'll probably watch it again someday.

I've never seen anything with Ana de Armas in it before. I expected her to be some kind of femme fatale character for some reason, but she was really nice and I was rooting for her. Daniel Craig was excellent as the weirdo detective too!

I've watched my first part of Glass Onion, so I should have that finished by Thursday!

Ana first popped up on my radar in BladeRunner 2049 where she played Gosling's helpful AI love interest. She's a real stand-out in that movie as well and while it's a personal favourite I'm not sure if it's your type of movie.

I enjoyed casting of Knives Out. Along with Ana you had Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why - The only reason to watch the show), LaKeith Stanfield (Atlanta, Uncut Gems, Get Out), Jaeden Martel (It) and Edi Patterson (Vice Principals, Righteous Gemstones)

Casting for Glass Onion was even better. Bautista was fantastic in it. Norton and Hudson were a ton of un too.

Super curious who he gets for the final movie. Glass Onion got a shit ton of hype so final one gonna have a lot of people wanting to get on.

Dec 27, 2022 14:51:52 GMT Big Pete said:

Dec 26, 2022 20:45:26 GMT @aaron said:

Knives Out

Not the kind of thing I'd usually be drawn to, but I loved it!

Definitely the kind of thing that will be even better with repeat viewings so I'll probably watch it again someday.

I've never seen anything with Ana de Armas in it before. I expected her to be some kind of femme fatale character for some reason, but she was really nice and I was rooting for her. Daniel Craig was excellent as the weirdo detective too!

I've watched my first part of Glass Onion, so I should have that finished by Thursday!

Ana first popped up on my radar in BladeRunner 2049 where she played Gosling's helpful AI love interest. She's a real stand-out in that movie as well and while it's a personal favourite I'm not sure if it's your type of movie.

I enjoyed casting of Knives Out. Along with Ana you had Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why - The only reason to watch the show), LaKeith Stanfield (Atlanta, Uncut Gems, Get Out), Jaeden Martel (It) and Edi Patterson (Vice Principals, Righteous Gemstones)

Most impressive thing about her is she didn’t know English when she was cast in War Dogs and just learned the lines phonetically

Knives Out was fine. Had a bit more of a personality and a charm than the comparable Death On The Nile, but as a whole I didn't really feel it. It was just fine. Yet...I feel strangely drawn to watch a sequel. Especially if Batista is involved.

Sequel was much better than the original Knives Out. First Knives Out made everyone unlikable, but this one pulls back on that. They are still bad people, but not absolutely unlikable. Also is not really one mystery but a series of them, which works much better than a single mystery. Gets rid of that mid film low that most mystery films have.

I saw Clerks 3. It started off kinda slow but picked up steam after a while. What a story.

Pinocchio (Guillermo Del Toro, 2022)

As we all know, many of the Disney animated classics have been remade in live action, to mixed reception. Mostly they are shot-for-shot remakes of the originals. Time will tell how they are received, but my view is that apart from the initial buzz, nobody seems to care that much and none appear to be particularly memorable.

Pinocchio was also remade in the same fashion ths year, a Robert Zemeckis production released on Disney Plus. I wonder if anyone here has seen it, or even heard of it? They got in the cream of the crop, Tom Hanks, to play Gepetto, but the critical reception is not good.

While Del Toro did not remake a Disney classic, but rather the 1883 Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, I still think it's a worthy comparison to make, if not entirely accurate. In contrast to these cash-grab remakes, Guillermo Del Toro has taken a classic tale and completely reimagined it with his unique cinematic vision. The source novel is a rather dark affair, Disney lightened the content in their Pinocchio film of 1940. Needless to say, Del Toro took a more adult approach.

Personally I'm not a fan of Del Toro's movies, his style and manner of storytelling does not work for me, but wonderful is his transformation of the Pinocchio story to the big screen. The stop-motion animation is simply gorgeous. The narrative and pacing is great. The voice acting is fantastic. Extra credit to Gregory Mann, voice of Pinocchio, who has a beautiful singing voice. I didn't like the songs much (I never do), but I can't help but admire the angelic vocals.

Getting more into the details, it mostly hits the beats of the Pinocchio story I know from the 1940 Disney film, including the travelling carnival and a giant sea monster. There are several additions. The opening scene felt like an attempt to imitate the memorably tearjerking opening act of Up, with only partial success, but I can't fault it as an effective way to start the tale. Mysterious spirits form a substantial basis of the plot, beings who play with life and death, a very Del Toro thing to do, but these character were handled intelligently and didn't overimpose themselves on the plot. The same can be said about the nods to World War II and Mussolini's regime. This piece of Italian history is woven into the plot without beating you over the head with it, and the focus is never taken off Pinocchio and his story. The finale of this storyline arc, featuring an animated Mussolini himself, is wonderful. There is no When You Wish Upon A Star, the most obvious signal that Del Toro wants no connection with Disney. There is an insect character, by the name of Sebastian J. Cricket, who does act as a moral compass for Pinocchio, but is largely played off as comic relief and ignored by his companions. At least until a memorable scene near the film's climax.

The conclusion itself is bittersweet, a fitting way to end the story given the musings about life, death, and the nature of mortality throughout the film. Overall, while there is some dark content, there is enough humour and light content to keep the story moving along at a nice pace. It's basically perfect. My only complaint is the mistreatment of Mr. Cricket, but it's really not a big deal. I loved Nightmare Alley. Pinocchio is at least as good. Perhaps I can start to look at Del Toro's future work with optimism.

Del Toro’s Pinocchio was fantastic

Glass Onion was boring AF and seemingly never ending. All the Covid and twitter stuff was awful as well

And as far as glass goes

SPOILER: Click to show

Smashing that much glass everywhere with almost everyone in sandals would be brutal

Dec 27, 2022 14:51:52 GMT Big Pete said:

Dec 26, 2022 20:45:26 GMT @aaron said:

Knives Out

Not the kind of thing I'd usually be drawn to, but I loved it!

Definitely the kind of thing that will be even better with repeat viewings so I'll probably watch it again someday.

I've never seen anything with Ana de Armas in it before. I expected her to be some kind of femme fatale character for some reason, but she was really nice and I was rooting for her. Daniel Craig was excellent as the weirdo detective too!

I've watched my first part of Glass Onion, so I should have that finished by Thursday!

Ana first popped up on my radar in BladeRunner 2049 where she played Gosling's helpful AI love interest. She's a real stand-out in that movie as well and while it's a personal favourite I'm not sure if it's your type of movie.

Blade Runner 2049 I feel doesn't get enough praise, it may be long, often meticulous almost to a fault, but it is a masterpiece. Maybe it serves as a salute to fans of the original more so than any attempt to capture new fans to the franchise, I don't know...

Ana is wonderful in it. And credit to Batista, who isn't afraid to experiment. Dwyane I'm looking at you..



These are 4 different movies.

I liked Glass Onion a lot more than the original Knives Out. Janelle Monae was fierce AF and the Elon Musk commentary was amusing. Daniel Craig making a southern gay detective his most iconic role over James Bond is pretty awesome.

Del Toro's Pinocchio was solid, definitely ages better than the lifeless Disney remake, still not sure I'd return to it, but it was a decent watch

Glass Onion was a great murder mystery, I'd come up with a half dozen plausible directions by the time it pulled back and gave the important information and cut 'em down, but was still wrong in the end. Always a good mystery to keep you on your toes. Craig definitely shines as Benoit Blanc, chewing up lines like it's nobody's business, his wrap up was just plain hilarious. Look forward to the next entry, as both have been top tier mysteries so far.

SPOILER: Click to show

Movie got me good, when Blanc points out that's the switching of glasses was not what they saw, but what he told them. I KNEW I saw him hand him that glass, but second guessed myself just because it showed me Bron's version of the event. I actually fell for his bullshit.