Last Movie You Watched

[Amulek]

On 10/27/2025 at 4:52 PM, bluebell said:

I’m excited to see the sequel!

I'm still at mildly curious. There have just been so many crummy sequels lately - it's hard to for me to be anything more than cautiously optimistic at this point. 

 

[bluebell]

24 minutes ago, Amulek said:

I'm still at mildly curious. There have just been so many crummy sequels lately - it's hard to for me to be anything more than cautiously optimistic at this point. 

 

Very true. The Hocus Pocus sequel was pretty bad

[Amulek]

Went with some friends over the weekend to go see Wicked: For Good. 

It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't nearly as good as the first installment.

Now, that wasn't terribly surprising to me, because that's how it is in the musical as well. All of the popular songs are loaded in the first act, and the second half doesn't have nearly as many original hits (arguably, there's just the one - the rest are mostly either duds or reprisals). Plus, there's a good amount of narrative setup that all needs to get resolved, and that kind of draws things out.

I did like the ending though, and there's a nice little call back in the closing shot that hearkens back to the original poster from the musical, but I won't be going back to watch this one again any time soon - maybe when it comes out on streaming if my family is interested. I guess we'll see.

 

[bluebell]

We tried to watch Playdate on Amazon with our 11 and 12 year old because it was a comedy about two dads and their kids, and was rated PG-13.  The language was so bad though, and there was sexually suggestive stuff, that we had to stop and rewatch Holes (always a winner).  

Hubby and I did go back and finish it and it's entertaining (in the cookie cutter way that all straight to streaming movies are now), and there are some funny parts but it was ultimately pretty forgettable.

[Rain]

On 11/25/2025 at 11:00 AM, bluebell said:

We tried to watch Playdate on Amazon with our 11 and 12 year old because it was a comedy about two dads and their kids, and was rated PG-13.  The language was so bad though, and there was sexually suggestive stuff, that we had to stop and rewatch Holes (always a winner).  

Hubby and I did go back and finish it and it's entertaining (in the cookie cutter way that all straight to streaming movies are now), and there are some funny parts but it was ultimately pretty forgettable.

My husband and I watched it, sort of.  I say we "sort of" because we both started watching it, but I was so tired that I deeply fell asleep at about 30 seconds in and woke up for the ending. That was enough for me.

[Rain]

I saw Rental Family last weekend. Ended up going 3 Saturdays in a row to see it lol. The first Saturday I didn't catch that it wasn't that week and arrived to find it not theaters yet.  The second Saturday I figured this time I would reserve it online despite paying the convenience fee, only to arrive again and find I reserved for the next Thursday morning. Luckily I was able to cancel it, except for the fee, and managed to actually buy tickets for the next Saturday.

Anyway, overall I liked it, but didn't love it.  I really like Brendan Fraser and there just are not many non cartoon, non superhero, non violence and sex movies so I really wanted to love it. 

[bluebell]

1 hour ago, Rain said:

I saw Rental Family last weekend. Ended up going 3 Saturdays in a row to see it lol. The first Saturday I didn't catch that it wasn't that week and arrived to find it not theaters yet.  The second Saturday I figured this time I would reserve it online despite paying the convenience fee, only to arrive again and find I reserved for the next Thursday morning. Luckily I was able to cancel it, except for the fee, and managed to actually buy tickets for the next Saturday.

Anyway, overall I liked it, but didn't love it.  I really like Brendan Fraser and there just are not many non cartoon, non superhero, non violence and sex movies so I really wanted to love it. 

It looks good and I wanted to see it.  I'm a little sad that it wasn't amazing like it had hoped it would be.  I'm tired of movies that are just 'good'.  I can't figure out why Hollywood is struggling so much to make good movies anymore.  

[Calm]

1 hour ago, bluebell said:

can't figure out why Hollywood is struggling so much to make good movies anymore.  

I think because there has to be something somewhat new or unique to be really captured by movies now because we have sooooo many choices these days, they need those to stand out.  And that means it will be risky.  I was watching a FB commentary a few days ago that talked about how unusual it was for the Lord of the Rings to get made because the fantasy genre had never really produced a financial success before.  The original studio iirc gave up on it when Jackson wouldn’t make a shorter and thus less expensive film.

Plus technology has produced a lot of short cuts that can give decent results where before I think the separation between good and easy was much more obvious with bad graphics and bad writing, so so music….so again, if they can make quite a bit of a profit with much less time and/or money investment, why bother with investing more to attempt to make a great movie (which will more likely just be a really good movie).  Though I suspect a lot fool themselves into thinking it will be a good movie to excuse their choices to focus on the buck.

Edited November 30, 2025 by Calm

[Calm]

So I am looking at the Best Picture (Oscars) list and realized I haven’t paid any attention to it since 2007 and missed a few before that, lol.  Before that even if I didn’t see them eventually in some cut version on TV, I would at least try to find out the plot.  I just read the last one’s plot on wiki (Anora) because I had never heard of it that I can recall, not even an ad, and now wished I hadn’t (looked up the plot).

 

Edited November 30, 2025 by Calm

[Tacenda]

On 11/25/2025 at 11:00 AM, bluebell said:

We tried to watch Playdate on Amazon with our 11 and 12 year old because it was a comedy about two dads and their kids, and was rated PG-13.  The language was so bad though, and there was sexually suggestive stuff, that we had to stop and rewatch Holes (always a winner).  

Hubby and I did go back and finish it and it's entertaining (in the cookie cutter way that all straight to streaming movies are now), and there are some funny parts but it was ultimately pretty forgettable.

Went to see Zootopia 2 with my grandchildren. Highly recommend!!

[bluebell]

Hubby and I tried to watch the last Mission Impossible part 2.  He made it through the whole (almost three hours long) movie and seemed to like it.  I only made it about 45 minutes.  From my perspective, the whole franchise has lost the plot, similar to the Fast and Furious franchise.  It's so over the top and convoluted that its become boring and you don't care about any of the characters (when you can actually remember who any of them are or figure out why Cruise cares about them).

I read somewhere that they don't even do a plot with these movies.  They come up with stunts that Cruise wants to do and then they write the movie around each stunt.  That makes sense because the plot definitely feels low down on the list of important things when this was being made.  Not to mention that the character list (and body count) is so huge now, and the action has played out over such long time frame (the first one came out in 1996 so this movie asks you to remember and care about things from thirty years ago) that it's almost impossible to keep track of it all without a guidebook.

This last installment pushed into the mysticism/prophecy/end of the world/skynet stuff in a way that, in my opinion, lowers the IQ of the whole franchise.  If you like cruise being cruise (with really bad hair), love practical stunts, like conspiracy movies, and/or have a soft spot for the whole mission impossible octet, then you'll probably like this one. 

If not, skip it.

[Tacenda]

I saw "Song, Sung, Blue over the holidays and I can't recommend it enough! When my husband and I walked into a full theater, it had mostly our age group, lol. 

It's about a couple that are portraying Neil Diamond and then a female back singer and performer. Similar to the Tribute bands out there. They were known as Thunder and Lightening. It shows about their lives, and the acting was amazing and the story line, IMO.  

Edited December 29, 2025 by Tacenda

[bluebell]

Thursday Murder Club on Netflix.

Its about a group of old people in a retirement community that talk about cold cases once a week but then have to solve a real murder.

It’s got a bunch of big actors (like Pierce Bronson) and is a lot of fun with a story that isn’t obvious. Plus it’s only rated PG-13 which is a nice change.  I don’t even really like murder mysteries but still liked it. 

[Calm]

25 minutes ago, bluebell said:

Thursday Murder Club on Netflix.

Its about a group of old people in a retirement community that talk about cold cases once a week but then have to solve a real murder.

It’s got a bunch of big actors (like Pierce Bronson) and is a lot of fun with a story that isn’t obvious. Plus it’s only rated PG-13 which is a nice change.  I don’t even really like murder mysteries but still liked it. 

I like murder mysteries. It wasn’t bad.

[bluebell]

The Life of Chuck

Very weird.  Rated R because the middle act has a woman who says a bunch of F words when she's mad about something, but for no other reason that I can figure out.  It's about a man named chuck and the timeline of the movie runs in reverse, starting at the end and moving to the beginning.  I can't say much more because it will spoil the plot.  I enjoyed it because I'm a sentimental person and it's in that lane.  It's more a reminiscence of life than about any specific thing. 

Again, it's very weird. 

[Amulek]

Inception

Now that my daughter is out of the house and the boys hold the majority sway when it comes to family movie night selections, things are starting to get fun.  

I really like Christopher Nolan as a director. It's one of the only movies that I think does a good job of creating an authentically ambiguous ending. 

The funny thing is, when I went to go see this in theaters (years ago), I could have sworn that at the end of the credits - because I've always been a stay-to-the-final-frame kind of moviegoer - there was a sound effect that gave you a clue to the ending, so that's how I've always interpreted it. When we watched it on Amazon Prime though, there was no such sound at the end. Maybe I'm misremembering - or maybe I'm just still caught in the dream.  

Regardless, a good time was had by all.

 

[Devobah]

Wake Up Dead Man

A little more predictable than the first two from the Benoit Blanc mystery movie series that is out there. However I still consider it a very enjoyable movie. It's got its jabs here and there at various people and political types as is the norm, but its commentary on religion is actually very well done, to the point where you find yourself tearing up even if you aren't particularly religious or even atheist. The movie sticks with its style of starting the movie, flashing back to earlier within the movie's events, and then returning you to present day. It dares you to find out the mystery and pay attention, which is what all good mystery movies should do.

I'm a big fan of the ways that movies are shot and made. I like listening for sound design and look for fun ways to shoot movies. Dad gave me an appreciation for that one. There are points in the movie where you just can't help but be impressed with how they shot some of the shots. Just pay attention and you'll grow in appreciation.

Overall I'd give the movie a 3.8/5 stars.

[Calm]

5 hours ago, Devobah said:

There are points in the movie where you just can't help but be impressed with how they shot some of the shots.

I don’t know if I picked up on many of them, but it was definitely visually interesting as well as a fun watch overall.

Could have skipped a few overly done things by the villain (felt a bit lazy actually), but understand why they did it that way at least in part, bringing the main character to his limits.

Quote

little more predictable 

The groups involved have always felt stereotyped to me iirc….though that may be more a result of memory than reality since it’s been awhile; this one seemed even more than I remember the others being.  Probably should go back and rewatch to compare and contrast as I like to do.

Edited January 24 by Calm

[Tony uk]

Just watched Independence Day again. Basically know the film scene for scene, seen it so often. 

 I think I need to start watching some more modern films. There is not really that much that catches my eye at the moment.

[Rain]

2 hours ago, Tony uk said:

Just watched Independence Day again. Basically know the film scene for scene, seen it so often. 

 I think I need to start watching some more modern films. There is not really that much that catches my eye at the moment.

My husband and I are at the point we would really like to go to the theater and watch more matinees, but rarely are we finding one we want to go to.

[Tony uk]

20 hours ago, Rain said:

My husband and I are at the point we would really like to go to the theater and watch more matinees, but rarely are we finding one we want to go to.

I seem to be of a similar mind to yourself and husband. There seems to be little that grabs the attention these days.

[bluebell]

On 1/26/2026 at 1:15 PM, Tony uk said:

I seem to be of a similar mind to yourself and husband. There seems to be little that grabs the attention these days.

Agreed.  The plots of the movies out right now all seems to be violent, dark, or ideologically driven.  I miss just going to the movies and being entertained, and leaving feeling happy.

[bluebell]

On 1/25/2026 at 2:17 PM, Tony uk said:

Just watched Independence Day again. Basically know the film scene for scene, seen it so often. 

 I think I need to start watching some more modern films. There is not really that much that catches my eye at the moment.

That's one of my favorites.  I love when they mix actions/sci-fi and humor together.

[Pyreaux]

On 1/25/2026 at 3:17 PM, Tony uk said:

Just watched Independence Day again. Basically know the film scene for scene, seen it so often. 

 I think I need to start watching some more modern films. There is not really that much that catches my eye at the moment.

In these times, you might need to tolerate some spectacle over heart. Predator: Badlands was decent.

Or I could guide you into some random exotic B-movies and cult classics. Start throwing stuff at you.

Special (2006)

A low-budget gem is part humorous superhero movie and part psychological tragedy. Les Franken, played with sincerity by Michael Rapaport, is given an experimental antidepressant trial drug called Spec-7, designed to inhibit the part of the brain that processes self-doubt. Now Les is starting to believe in himself, even enough to become a vigilante hero. Michael Rapaport is often known for playing loud or aggressive characters, this has to be the best performance of his career here. He plays it very vulnerable. It's a sharp satire of culture and the pharmaceutical industry’s quest to medicate away the human experience.

Edited January 28 by Pyreaux

[Tony uk]

On 1/28/2026 at 2:53 AM, Pyreaux said:

In these times, you might need to tolerate some spectacle over heart. Predator: Badlands was decent.

Or I could guide you into some random exotic B-movies and cult classics. Start throwing stuff at you.

Special (2006)

A low-budget gem is part humorous superhero movie and part psychological tragedy. Les Franken, played with sincerity by Michael Rapaport, is given an experimental antidepressant trial drug called Spec-7, designed to inhibit the part of the brain that processes self-doubt. Now Les is starting to believe in himself, even enough to become a vigilante hero. Michael Rapaport is often known for playing loud or aggressive characters, this has to be the best performance of his career here. He plays it very vulnerable. It's a sharp satire of culture and the pharmaceutical industry’s quest to medicate away the human experience.

This one looks interesting, I will keep a lookout for this. Thanks for the tip.