The last movie you saw

[Mat Linnett]

The most recent movie I watched was The Union on Netflix, and it was exactly the sort of drab, aging-star vehicle I've come to expect from Netflix. Nothing about it stood out, and it was thoroughly pedestrian and predictable. Mark Wahlberg somehow manages to continue his streak of being one of the least likeable / most dull leading men in Hollywood.
Seriously, I have no idea why people continue to hire him.

A couple of weeks earlier, I'd also watched the most recent Beverley Hills Cop also on Netflix, and again, it was just bland.
But at least Eddie Murphy stood out as a great example of aging gracefully. He looks spectacularly good for his age.

I also watched Furiosa, which was remarkably better than either of those others, with a great performance from Chris Hemsworth. Not sure about Anya Taylor-Joy in the title role mind you; I couldn't understand why they didn't just get Charlize back. She doesn't look that different to when Fury Road was shot.
And while Taylor-Joy can be a great actor (see The Queen's Gambit and Last Night in Soho), she didn't really stand out in this; I certainly didn't get that desparate sense of seething anger from her that I got from Charlize in Fury Road.
Overall, as a further exploration of the world of Mad Max, it was great, and I'm keen to see what George Miller does with it next.

But watching Furiosa and its world-building did also send me off down the rabbit hole of Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior and Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, to see if they were as good as I remembered.
And to be honest, they're a mixed bag.

Mad Max 2 is still the better movie of the two. But there were cringey elements that grated these days that I had kind of ignored as a kid. While all of the bad guys are pretty memorable, the settlers are all embarrasingly hammy caricatures rather than actual characters.
It's still got lots of heart and iconic imagery, but it is showing its age these days.

Beyond Thunderdome however was slightly better than I remembered, despite it dialling up the kid-friendly content in an attempt to pursue PG success.
Tina Turner in particular stands out in a way I hadn't remembered as a kid, sneering and scheming in ways that were lost on me when I was younger.
And damn, she was hot in that role.

The Pilot (from both movies) also really amused me, as I work with a journalist who looks almost identical to him.

[Whiskey 7]

Shooter (2007)
IMDB
Mark Wahlberg A really good watch.
8/10

Fly Me to the Moon (2024)
IMDB
Scarlett Johansson, one word, excellent
9.5/10

BTW, I was about in '69

[Whiskey 7]

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Classic and a must watch

[Mat Linnett]

For a little Halloween spirit, I rewatched the original Fright Night at the weekend.
It holds up remarkably well, despite a very questionable introductory scene which is uncomfortably close to rapey.

It's a tight, simple premise, and it plays to its strengths, while featuring some remarkable effects work.

Also, is this the first instance of the trope about killing the master vampire to free his subordinates?
Feel free to correct me!

Maybe not quite as good as I remember it being, but still a great, fun movie.

[Whiskey 7]

The Arctic Convoy (2023)

Powerful Norwegian movie I was fortunate to obtain in English

A solid 8/10

Summer 1941: Hitler seems unstoppable, invading the Soviet Union. Convoys of cargo ships with war materials began the perilous journey to Murmansk. Ordinary sailors facing German superiority in the icy Arctic sea with lives at stake.

IMDB

[CZghost]

So far it's "The Green Mile", starring Tom Hanks and Michael Clarke Duncan. Absolute masterpiece!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120689/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

[Mat Linnett]

"The Substance", a body horror with a lot to say about the objectification of women in Hollywood.
Great effects, and a strong message, although it does go a little off piste at the end. Still, a good ride while it lasts, and great performances from Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Denis Quaid.