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Exodus: Gods and Kings by Ridley Scott
Story of Moses exodus from Egypt. Movie reminding us of the righteous face of God.
How different face of slavery were years before when Joseph's family literally beg for it. Probably Joseph (2015) could be good overture here.
 
I watched about 1h40m of "One Battle After Another" and it was really boring, it wasn't interesting at all to me so I just turned it off. No way would I watch all of it (3hrs for that garbage? No).
 
Prey - Now that Predator: Badlands is available online, it was time to resume the franchise journey. Thankfully I was at Prey, the first of the apparent Dan Trachtenberg trilogy. I watched Prey 3 years ago, so some things were familiar. There was a slight hurdle to climb in the beginning, and that's the Comanche people speaking English. I would eventually let that go, but I know that was an issue for people watching the film. I didn't even know until after finishing the movie that there's a Comanche-dub of the film. Next time I'll check that out. Another little issue is that the subtitles I had didn't translate the spoken Comanche or the French. So it was weird to see those untranslated along with the regular English subtitles.

I have no other complaints. Prey was a total blast and easily surpasses Predator 2, Predators, and The Predator. When I first watched Prey, I hadn't watched Predators. Now that I have, revisiting Prey allowed me to pick up on certain scenes that may have been inspired by that film. The bio-mask the Predator wears in Prey is apparently made from the skull of a River Ghost from Predators. The scene where Naru and another Comanche run out of the woods into an open field is similar to a sequence in Predators. The camera shot overhead is even similar.

Anyway, this movie succeeded in making me care deeply for the main character. Naru's growth was well executed and Amber Midthunder's performance was great. It was easy to root for her. Unlike previous Predator movies, I actually got a little angry at the Predator for essentially cheating. That invisibility cloak bullshit really bugged me. It made the final confrontation so satisfying, and much more moving than the climaxes of previous films. The action in this is great, the cinematography is so good. The score and editing are great, and it's worth noting that the people who worked in those departments were women. The pacing is fantastic, it kept on moving with no painfully slow moments. The CGI was solid and the visuals overall were very rich. It's a pretty immersive movie. I look forward to watching the next 2 Predator films. I have a feeling Prey will be the best of that trilogy based on preference, but I could be wrong.

9/10
 
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Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One - This was a very unique movie. It's a documentary where director William Greaves films a conversation between actors in Central Park, Manhattan. It's essentially a screen test or audition, but what he writes for the actors sounds so bizarre and unreal. Most of his crew is not feeling the material and the overall competency of the production. That is documented, so it's like a documentary within a documentary. But then it seems that Greaves' true goal was to document how exhausting and volatile filmmaking can be. And he might've played himself as an incompetent filmmaker to set up this distinct kind of chaos. So it's a documentary within a documentary within a documentary. It's nuts, fittingly in the Criterion Collection and it plays out like an unsettling and unflattering depiction of filmmaking with an intense debate on language. It's a very fascinating experiment and actually edited very well. Greaves was also the editor. 7.5/10

Vortex - Gaspar Noe's devastatingly authentic portrayal of an elder couple torn apart by dementia. This is the 3rd Gaspar Noe film I've seen, so I knew it would be a rough watch to some extent. It was a different kind of rough, not like Irreversible or Climax, the 2 other films of his I saw. It's very slow at 2 hours and 22 minutes and it's very quiet. There's for almost the entirety of the film. There's no fancy cinematography. It's pretty avant-garde in its storytelling, but succeeds in getting you into the story. You get so into it that you can't really pull yourself out of it. The title is very apt, it's a vortex that sucks you in and spits you out at the very last second. The acting is brilliant. One of the main characters is played by Italian horror master Dario Argento! And he was fantastic! The movie certainly hit me. I think if I had a firsthand experience with dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions, I probably would've cried. Hell, I probably would've cried if it was the most depressing thing I saw this week. It wasn't, and that's because of a vile piece of shit ICE agent. I could say that reality is more awful than Vortex, but that would be dispararing toward Vortex's commitment to reality. This film is very real, and worth watching once. Perhaps only once, it's one of those films. 9/10
 
I watched Strange Days again which was a great movie. I can see that some people might find it a bit boring because it lacks a lot of action but its worth watching for the performances and the story.

The Raid 1 and The Raid 2 were great action martial arts films worth watching. They also come with english dub for those that prefer it.
 
I watched a few movies since my last post on the thread.

Predator: Killer of Killers - Very engaging and fun animated anthology film. I was surprised at how much I got into the characters that it felt like the Yautja were interfering! But that just meant those stories would be longer and have more action sequences. The animation was fantastic, the storytelling was very effective. It was basically an animated anthology version of Prey. It has a similar concept where it's character-driven rather than focued on the ensemble. It's set in a different time period, and the character achieves growth. Dan Trachtenberg doesn't miss. I wish the ending had more finality, but I didn't dislike it at all. This is also a nice reminder that I need to watch more animated movies. 8.5/10

Predator: Badlands - I didn't think I would like this as much as Prey, but wow. This was better than I expected. I had a bit of an emotional investment in the movie and basically rooted for Dek. A common sentiment about the movie is that it's not truly a Predator movie, it's not a great one, or whatever. I don't agree with that, I think this movie redefines what a Predator movie does. It does it so well that it classifies as a new kind of Predator movie. Dan Trachtenberg truly hasn't missed. 3 great films in a franchise that was pretty much killed by The Predator several years ago. It's not perfect. Some of the CGI could be better and the Disneyfication can be too silly, such as the incorporation of the little animal buddy and the chatty sidekick, played by Elle Fanning. Both elements would grow on me, with strong storyline reasons for those two. Elle Fanning was so good in this, yet another movie from 2025 that featured dual performances. Any hang-up with her as Thia was not present with her as Tessa. It wound up being a best of both worlds, as she played a sweet sidekick and a cold, milk-blooded villain. The action is great, the best of the CGI results in beautiful and imaginative worlds. It would make a cool-ass video game. 9/10

Predators (2025) - This is a documentary that explores To Catch a Predator and its impact on society and justice. It also follows the content that were spawned after its short 3-year run. It essentially plays Devil's Advocate. Obviously, there's no defending the vile predators highlighted in the series, but it presents the people involved with it, Chris Hansen included, as very flawed. What TCAP did was ultimately damaging and has not truly moved the needle on child predators. A certain question was posed, a desire for understanding was shared, and the director, David Osit, used to watch TCAP for that understanding. The explanation of why pedophiles do what they do. The series never answered that, and this doc makes that very clear and how sad that ultimately is. It's a frustrating watch, but an important one. 8/10

Lawrence of Arabia - I wish I loved this as much as other people, but my sensibilities don't fully align with the movie. The craft and score carry the movie. They're the main reasons I survived the crushing runtime. Toward the end of its 3 hour and 47 runtime, I was getting very tired. It didn't help that I watched this very late at night. The acting is very good, but the characters were flawed for certain reasons. It was hard to get past the fact that most of the Arabian characters were played by white men. I also couldn't look at Prince Feisal and not see and hear Obi Wan Kenobi. Alec Guinness has such a distinct voice and it's not much different with him trying to go for an Arabian voice. Peter O'Toole was great, but his character was a little unlikable. The epicness of the movie really covers up the fact that this is a white savior story, which I'm not keen on. Part of why this movie is long is the slow pacing. It takes ages for T.E. Lawrence to even reach his initial destination. It also felt like there were time skips, certain things weren't shown. That's odd for a movie that's so long, I would think everything would be shown. The lack of women is jarring, but I guess that's still being historically accurate, for a movie that dramatizes stuff. Anyway, this is still a good movie, I'm just not with seemingly the vast majority of people who hail this as a classic. 7.5/10

Twisted Pair - This is officially the first Neil Breen movie I've seen. I heard of the guy for years and saw clips of him, but hadn't fully watched a movie of his. As a connoisseur of trash cinema, this was long overdue. Finally, it came, and it was mostly what I expected. It's slow, the plot is aimless and makes no sense, the social commentary is shitty, the acting is dreadful, the score is bland, the visual effects were trash, it was incompetent on so many levels. But there is some entertainment, and I think I would've enjoyed it more if I watched it with other people. That's the case for many bad movies. I was so restless watching the movie, I couldn't stomach the shit being flung. The Room is more coherent and hilarious from start to finish. The laughs come in spurts when watching Twisted Pair, which is enough for me to probably watch this again. So, despite the rating, it's entertaining at times. 1/10.
 
Love on a Leash - This movie blew my mind. It was a last-minute watch party viewing after the original movie couldn't be played. This movie's on YouTube, so it was easy to suddenly pull it up for a viewing. It's an absolutely dreadful movie that is literally devoid of music! Dead air is the overwhelming sound of the movie, with horrible sound mixing, The acting is horrible, but the actors had to follow a script that made no sense at all. The writer/director, Fen Tian, is a Chinese woman! That's wild because I thought bad movies like this could only come from vain men. The story is about a dog who needs to find true love to turn into a human. It's a princess and the frog type of story, but it's hard to root for the man because he's somehow an asshole when a dog, and a total dumbass when a human. The woman is also absolutely stupid, who wears nothing but green and her house is completely green. The movie's 90 minutes and moves super fast thanks to hyperactive editing, but only for the first half. The second half is much slower, but there was no decline in idiotic things. It's another "so bad it's good" movie. Despite the very valid criticisms of how this movie is completely incompetent, I had a blast watching it! Watching it with people was also a major treat. I laughed so much from this. I was shocked at many points, the "plot" is overloaded with content and is pretty unpredictable. So based on that, the rating is going to be 8/10.

If Beale Street Could Talk - This was the scheduled 2nd film of the night, and oddly paired well with Love on a Leash. Both films are love stories. Love on a Leash lacks music, If Beale Street Could Talk is filled with music! Obviously the acting and overall filmmaking is lightyears ahead of Love on a Leash. It's a very powerful romance story based on the 1974 book of the same name. I went in mostly blind, only knowing that it's a romance movie that had Regina King, who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role here. She was absolutely fantastic, I really love strong motherly characters and she epitomized that. The cast was surprisingly stacked, with minor roles filled by Diego Luna, Pedro Pascal, Brian Tyree Henry, Colman Domingo, Ed Skrein, and Dave Franco! I assume many actors wanted to work with Barry Jenkins following his previous film, Moonlight. Each small role was very affecting, while the movie never lost focus of the two young leads. Their relationship is tested greatly in what would turn out to be a poignant drama highlighting racism and the fucked up justice and prison system of the US. Sadly, all that is still prevalent. I like Moonlight more than this, but I think this film is up there. Kind of sucks that Barry Jenkins would go on to do the Mustafa movie, that is beneath him. This movie also boasts incredible dialogue, solid pacing to where you don't feel the 2 hour runtime, and great cinematography. It was also distinct, as I recognize many camera shots from Moonlight, proving that Barry Jenkins has a particular visual style. The period setting in this film is so rich. The score is incredible, with a mix of jazz and very dramatic compositions. Watching Love on a Leash before this kind of made the film feel extra magical. The true power of cinema is represented in this film, but I think on its own, it is still a lovely drama. 9/10
 
Sentimental Value - A pretty engaging drama about a fractured family and how art can contribute to that damage, but can also repair it. The script and the acting performances carry the movie hard. Joachim Trier's directing is not flashy and very solid. Choosing the best of the 4 performances is hard, each character got better as the movie progressed and had at least one moment where they brought the house down. I felt more engaged by Stellan Skarsgard, his character was the most interesting of the four. Renate Reinsve is up there with Skarsgard. Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas was solid until the 2nd half, where she really got to shine. Three scenes of her crying more or less secured her many acting nominations. Elle Fanning is at the bottom, but that doesn't mean she was bad or even just good. She's great and becomes a richer character as the story progressed. Her final scene is likely what got her the Oscar nomination. The soundtrack's surprisingly awesome, with great ballads and slow-paced sounds. The editing was solid for most of the movie, with flashy bits at points. The pacing is very slow and I did feel the runtime at points. I also had tiny gripes with certain story points. Overall though, Sentimental Value deserves all its Oscar nominations. 8.5/10
 
Went to the cinema yesterday and watched "Is This Thing On?" for free as I had a voucher.



And the other day, I watched Hamnet. Hamnet's cover is kind of misleading, it's about a boy (I don't want to spoil too much).

hamnet-10181016-16x9_0.jpg
 
Hurry Up Tomorrow - Fuck this movie. It made me hate The Weeknd. I felt bad for Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan. The latter gave a good performance. Ortega didn't, the movie was insulting and unflattering to her. The music is okay, certainly a treat for fans of The Weeknd. But it was hard to fully like the music when it's made to serve this movie. The cinematography is overly flashy and you can tell Trey Edward Shults is flexing. He was an overachiever, and I would show more respect, but it all served this ugly vanity project. The Weeknd drags the movie down to the point that it's one of the worst of 2025. I'd say it's the worst movie that came out theatrically in 2025. 1/10

Mad God - A real labor of love. 30 years in the making. The effort goes to show. Mad God feels very unique as a visual feast. I was very surprised that it was just as much an audio feast! The music was amazing and atmospheric, even veering into soundscape territory. I'm not sure what the story was about. There was no dialogue and it felt like a barrage of visuals that somehow connect and keep me engrossed. I guess it's a bizarre and disgusting fable about the cycle of life. Either way, I appreciated the movie so much. 9/10

Serenity - It might've helped if I watched Firefly before this. Thankfully, the movie did well enough as a standalone. Some context of the show was required, but it was straight-to-the-plot space western. No long exposition scenes, meaning the pacing is solid. I was a little bothered by the quips and goofiness, especially knowing it was all from Joss Whedon. His schtick hasn't aged all that well. But the action sequences and performances from some actors, such as Nathan Fillion and Chiwetel Ejiofor. I would've liked more Morena Baccarin and Alan Tudyk, but I understand this was a mostly ensemble cast. The show probably provided more details of these characters. I liked that it got serious as well. The CGI even held up well, looking better than a lot of current-day CGI. It makes me interested in Firefly. 7/10
 
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Not the best answer I know but it's been more than 36 months ago since I watched a movie, I don't remember :D
 
Stand and Deliver:



I really like this film. Especially this scene: this helps give an idea of what teaching is really about.

Instead of being aggressive back and throwing a fit at the disrespect, he uses it to the advantage of a child to learn. Even going as far as to use "finger man" as a lighthearted joke.

The real Jaime Escalante did so much more. The admins _hated_ him in real life.

I remember a student who elbowed me when I prevented a fight in my class:

Me: Sir, did you just elbow me?
Student: *smiles*
Me: you call that an elbow? Sir, I've been elbowed by Special Forces: that is _not_ an elbow. Here, let me show you how it's done [vs. the wall in the classroom].".
Student: !? [Is this guy for real!?].
Me: Now, what you want to do is twist the elbow like this. Make it work like a drill instead of a hammer. Now, you also want to use your back hand to help thrust it towards the solar plexus as you twist it. The goal is to maximize force. Now, try _that_ one on me.
Student: !!! [he tries it].
Me: Good! Much better! Now _that's_ an elbow! But you know what, engineering is better than fighting. Sure, you could get paid for winning the UFC, but engineering pays so much more. Let me show you why AutoCAD pays so much while we look at high paying jobs on indeed.com that list them.

That student became my best one in that class that year; he always got others to pay attention.
Student: "Hey man, chill. Mr. _'s cool."
He later did professional work to an extreme degree in engineering, and much more.

Gosh I Love teaching!
 
Last edited by MPRTwice,
RustInPeace said:
Hurry Up Tomorrow - Fuck this movie. It made me hate The Weeknd. I felt bad for Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan. The latter gave a good performance. Ortega didn't, the movie was insulting and unflattering to her. The music is okay, certainly a treat for fans of The Weeknd. But it was hard to fully like the music when it's made to serve this movie. The cinematography is overly flashy and you can tell Trey Edward Shults is flexing. He was an overachiever, and I would show more respect, but it all served this ugly vanity project. The Weeknd drags the movie down to the point that it's one of the worst of 2025. I'd say it's the worst movie that came out theatrically in 2025. 1/10

Mad God - A real labor of love. 30 years in the making. The effort goes to show. Mad God feels very unique as a visual feast. I was very surprised that it was just as much an audio feast! The music was amazing and atmospheric, even veering into soundscape territory. I'm not sure what the story was about. There was no dialogue and it felt like a barrage of visuals that somehow connect and keep me engrossed. I guess it's a bizarre and disgusting fable about the cycle of life. Either way, I appreciated the movie so much. 9/10

Serenity - It might've helped if I watched Firefly before this. Thankfully, the movie did well enough as a standalone. Some context of the show was required, but it was straight-to-the-plot space western. No long exposition scenes, meaning the pacing is solid. I was a little bothered by the quips and goofiness, especially knowing it was all from Joss Whedon. His schtick hasn't aged all that well. But the action sequences and performances from some actors, such as Nathan Fillion and Chiwetel Ejiofor. I would've liked more Morena Baccarin and Alan Tudyk, but I understand this was a mostly ensemble cast. The show probably provided more details of these characters. I liked that it got serious as well. The CGI even held up well, looking better than a lot of current-day CGI. It makes me interested in Firefly. 7/10
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Aw man it honestly feels like a waste to watch Serenity without having seen Firefly. You're right to be interested in the show, but if you can wait I'd be tempted to suggest waiting however long you would wait to be able to rewatch a movie so it feels fairly fresh, not like you've just seen it. Then watch the show, then watch the movie.

Mad God sounds interesting.
 
Loqueesha - A movie that came out in 2019. It's about middle-aged white man who pretends to be a Black woman to get on the radio and make a lot of money. It was written, produced, edited, directed by, and starring Jeremy Saville. This was a horrific vanity project. One of the worst movies ever. 0/10
 

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