At the Movies with Kane and BN

[Kane52630]

My Top 10 of 1999

1. The Matrix
2. Fight Club
3. Office Space
4. The Iron Giant
5. The Mummy
6. Galaxy Quest
7. Magnolia
8. The Insider
9. Election
10. The Green Mile


Honorable Mentions (in no order):
The Sixth Sense
Toy Story 2
Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
Bringing Out the Dead
End of Days
Being John Malkovich
Audition
Sleepy Hollow
Beyond The Mat
Tarzan

 

[Kane52630]

The Personal History of David Copperfield

Enjoyable. It's a modern update on the Charles Dickens novel that does a great job integrating the cast that feels natural. Dev Patel does a phenomenal job here and the cast itself is full of great actors doing what they do best (especially Tilda Swinton, Peter Capaldi & Hugh Laurie). It's mostly a actors movie complemented by some creative fantasy elements. I will say if I had any complaints it would probably be the pacing... which is hard to do considering the source material. Overall, it's really good.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

We Summon the Darkness

A pretty solid horror comedy. It plays with your expectations and deliver a nice twist to the satanic cult movies from decades ago. I did appreciate the mumblecore aspect when it started and the comedy that came with it as it took the horror route. The cast were great together and I did appreciate that they didn't made it too goofy and silly (I.E. Satanic Panic). Overall I dug it, it's exactly the kind of movie that would go over well at the more genre fueled film festivals.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Bill & Ted Face the Music

A feel good sequel to Bill & Ted that doesn't really do more than its required. It's got some good ideas, but the overall plot feels underdeveloped and rushed. I did liked the beginning and some parts here and there, but it never quite jelled together for me. You can also tell this had a low budget and the script was quickly put together. That being said, what kinda keeps this movie afloat is the cast. Keanu & Winter and also Samara Weaving & Brigette Lundy-Paine do have some fun scenes, but for me, Anthony Carrigan as Dennis Caleb McCoy stole the show. Overall, it's just a middle of the road movie that you put on to pass the time.
2.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Deathstroke: Knights & Dragons

It's essentially DC's version of the Scorpion's Revenge only with Deathstroke and with better character designs. The animation itself is stiff but they work it well with how they use it in the story. As for story, it's very basic and inert and the voice cast doesn't help it either. There are some parts that I dug, but the rest is kinda bland. It's exactly the kind of rated R animated movie that 12 year olds would go crazy for over the gore and violence. Overall, it's a mediocre movie that does exactly what some DC fans want, but nothing more.
2/5

 

[Kane52630]

Ava

Slightly above average. Tate Taylor goes into the female assassin genre and tries to do his version of Nikita/Alias/Salt with Jessica Chastain. Plot wise, it doesn't do anything new in particular, but the performances from Chastain, John Malkovich, and even Colin Farrell kept me interested. I did appreciate the smaller scenes in the movie and her assignments during the first half of the movie. Also the music was great. I will say the middle drags, but it ends pretty well even though they try to set it up for a sequel.
3/5

 

[Black Narcissus]

The female assassin genre is a guilty pleasure of mine. I can watch every single one of them. I can't wait for MEW's solo version (Kate). Allegedly, Chad Stahelski was brought in to give his input.

 

[Kane52630]

Superman: The Man of Tomorrow

A perfect reset for Superman and the DC animated universe that brings in hope and optimism that's been sorely lacking in recent years. I absolutely love the new character designs that feel familiar and new at the same time. The animation is still somewhat choppy like always, but it works better with this style. Voice casting and performances were a big improvement and they manage to get real dialogue that didn't sound like it came from an obnoxious teenager. As for the plot, I did like his reinvented origin story, and including Martian Manhunter was a smart idea. Also, Lobo was fun and even Parasite until it became a Kaiju movie. Overall, extremely well done and I can't wait to see what they do next in this universe.
3.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

Mulan

A serviceable Disney movie that does try to do something more than mimicking the animated movie. It takes away the musical side of the animated movie and add in instead a PG-13 Chinese epic much like Hero or House of Flying Daggers. And like a Chinese epic, it's got incredible production design and creative cinematography that keeps you interested at the very least. I didn't mind the story changes including the villain. That being said, what brings the movie down was the lack of character development (with Mulan especially) and the editing that keeps on a rushed pace. It needed more time with the characters to breathe and less time with action set pieces. Overall, it's generously slightly above average.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

Tenet
(low-mild spoilers)

ti devol I trap tsom eht roF. If you combined Memento with James Bond and sprinkle in some Call of Duty you'd probably get this. It's a spiritual sequel to Memento in terms of storytelling and much like Memento, once you get to the middle of the movie, it all starts to make sense. For my money, the middle was easily the best part of the movie and it keeps in line with the palindrome theme of the movie. Performance wise, John David Washington did a mostly solid job, but Robert Pattinson & Elizabeth Debicki were the highlight. Also Kenneth Branagh was not bad and serves as the Bond-esque villain for the movie. It's the most action you've seen in a Nolan movie, it's almost like a mix between Michael Bay and Christopher McQuarrie. All that being said, the one thing that keeps it from being Nolan's best was some technical issues... mainly the sound mix. It's the one thing I've notice that's gotten worse and worse since Interstellar. Even if you understand what's going on you still have to hear the dialogue very carefully. Overall, a solid Nolan movie that takes in a piece of everything he's done before.
4/5

1. Memento (2000)
2. The Dark Knight (2008)
3. Batman Begins (2005)
4. Tenet (2020)
5. The Prestige (2006)
6. Dunkirk (2017)
7. Inception (2010)
8. Insomnia (2002)
9. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
10. Interstellar (2014)
11. Following (1998)

 

[Kane52630]

Class Action Park

A pretty basic documentary that covers one of the most insane theme parks in America in the 80s/90s. It's one of those stories where you wished they had more footage to go by because it was Tiger King levels of insanity. They do a good job highlighting the nostalgia from the folks that went there and showcasing the sobering aftermath and deaths that came with it. And I also dug the low-fi animation that filled in the visuals. Overall, pretty good.
3/5

 

[Kane52630]

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

Absolutely phenomenal. Charlie Kaufman's latest existentialist drama comes in a form of a mystery/thriller. It almost feels like the companion piece to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Without giving much away, it's essentially a reflective journey into a relationship that's pretty much on it's last days. I'm always sucker for winter cinematography and this does a great job capturing the mood of the film. Also, it's a movie that's not for everyone because while there is some horror and mystery, the majority of the film is the car ride conversations between Jessie Buckley & Jesse Plemons who both gave some of best performances of the year (mainly Jessie Buckley). Toni Collette & David Thewlis were also great. They give you enough clues to piece together what the film is really about and once it gets to the final act everything comes together flawlessly. Overall, easily one of the best movies of the year.
4.5/5

 

[Kane52630]

You Cannot Kill David Arquette

Part redemption story, part vanity project... It's a documentary that goes into David Arquette's return to pro wrestling years after his infamous moment becoming WCW champion and being hated by fans. I thought the directors did a fantastic job framing this as a Rocky style comeback story where he has to work his way back up physically and mentally through the indie circuits. It's exactly kinds of documentaries I love where you feel like the fly on the wall witnessing all the good and bad that came with his journey. This also does a pretty good job showing behind the scenes of what it takes to be a pro wrestler and the level of training you have to do despite David Arquette's power of celebrity. Once the doc goes to Mexico and everything that happens after it really bumps up another level that really makes this doc feel very special even if you're not a fan of wrestling. Overall, easily one of the best and bizarre documentaries of the year.
4/5

 

[NDX]

Watching You Cannot Kill David Arquette, the way it was framed and presented a bit of it felt too kayfabe at times, but then again it is about his desire to wrestle again so it makes sense. In the end it was a good flick and made me really feel for him and how he saw himself.

 

[Kane52630]

Definitely felt kayfabe at times, but at the same time I dug that. The 2nd half is really what made the doc what it is. The last thing you can say about this doc was it wasn't interesting.

 

[NDX]

It very much so was, but i think it suffered from being a movie rather than a series. The second half, while interesting, also felt very rushed. At one point he's sober, then drinking again, but just mentioned once and never again. I think the would have benefited more from being a 4 or 6 episode miniseries rather than just a movie. Nonetheless, I do think people should watch this one at least once.

 

[Black Narcissus]

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

Kaufman continues his saga about Love, Death, and loneliness. I feel like this might be his bleakest chapter so far. Time distortion, character distortion, can't be a Kaufman flick without a poop reference/moment in there, this also has more film references than his past work. Jessie Buckley has a great Pauline Kael monologue moment as she throws jabs at Cassavetes. Jesse Plemons might be the closest thing we have to PSH. A journey of what is, what could've been, what should've been. One of the best films of the year.

4/5

 

[Kane52630]

I think I'm almost done with 2000... but I must ask before I make things final, any recs that flew under the radar?

@kvz5 @flickchick85 @Black Narcissus

 

[flickchick85]

I think I'm almost done with 2000... but I must ask before I make things final, any recs that flew under the radar?

@kvz5 @flickchick85 @Black Narcissus

Some of my faves of that year (in no particular order):

Memento
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Chopper
American Psycho
Gladiator
Almost Famous
In the Mood for Love
The Way of the Gun
Snatch
Shadow of the Vampire
Best in Show
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Unbreakable
You Can Count on Me
George Washington

 

[Black Narcissus]

I think I'm almost done with 2000... but I must ask before I make things final, any recs that flew under the radar?

@kvz5 @flickchick85 @Black Narcissus

Where is your 2000s list to watch?

Link me then I'll let ya know.

 

[Kane52630]

I don't have a watch list persay, but I have seen more of the popular films of 2000. Just list whatever comes to mind that is worth seeing.

 

[Black Narcissus]

I don't have a watch list persay, but I have seen more of the popular films of 2000. Just list whatever comes to mind that is worth seeing.

The Lives of Others
City of God
A Prophet
Irreversible
25th Hour
Dancer in The Dark
Elephant
Martyrs

 

[Kane52630]

I mean the year 2000. lol

 

[Black Narcissus]

I mean the year 2000. lol

 

[Kane52630]

Now having seen it... I'll say this about Almost Famous... kinda overrated.