Christian Myers said:Fair enough, everything you guys pointed out is valid. But honestly, if you aren't nitpicking every single little detail or plot hole, I still think it’s a great movie to sit down and watch. Maybe it's just because I went in expecting absolute garbage, so my perspective is a bit skewed?
That said, an 8/10 usually implies we're looking at a masterpiece. Personally, if a movie actually manages to surprise me and exceeds what I expected, I'll usually land on a 7/10—to me, that's the mark of a really solid film. An 8/10 is more like something heading toward the top 250 list on IMDb.
I think both aligator and Piranha are top-tier examples of that late 70s and 80s trash cinema. To me, Piranha trash knows exactly what it is, and there’s just something inherently fun about it. It’s a solid movie, and I know people who aren't into that specific flavor of 80s cheese are going to hate on it because they can't find anything "good" in it. That's actually why I mentioned it in the recommendation thread—it's perfect for anyone who lives for that 80s cheese and trash aesthetic. If that's your vibe, you're going to have a blast with this one.
You're totally right—those guys basically pioneered this whole genre of Piranha trash. This one is such a great throwback, too. I don't really see what’s "wrong" with it or why it wouldn't work as a solid cult classic; honestly, if you ask me, everything is exactly how it should be. I've spent a massive amount of time diving into pretty much every horror flick from the 80s, whether they were major hits or just obscure gems.
One movie that immediately comes to mind is Maniac Cop. It doesn't necessarily have to be an animal attack flick to count; it just has those specific qualities you find in those cheesy 80s cult classics. Take Friday the 13th, for example—you've got those silly tropes involving local police and all those classic 80s trash film clichés. It really hit all the right notes and crafted a solid piece of trash cinema that captures that 80s spirit perfectly. It’s just fun, features some entertaining kills, and honestly, it works exactly how a trash movie should.
This movie is absolute gold if you love trash cinema. It hits all those classic 80s vibes perfectly—honestly, it feels like the first time Banksy really nailed that style.
Brazil is an incredible movie, but it feels like Gilliam completely lost his way at the finish line. It’s such a shame; I honestly don't know what happened to him after those stellar runs he had in the '80s and '90s. To see him stumble like that just doesn't sit right with me. This forum is usually top-tier, yet somehow, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Brazil have become these topics where the discussions turn into absolute nightmares that are hard to even get through. Truly disappointing.
Traffic is an incredible movie about the drug trade—easily one of the best out there. While it takes a little bit of inspiration from the actual conflicts happening down in Tijuana and Juarez, the way it handles the political landscape and the specific mechanics of the drug supply chain is just masterful. The acting is top-notch, too. I really appreciated how the film balances those heavy societal consequences of addiction with deeply personal, human stories. It works perfectly on both a micro and macro level. In my opinion, Traffic stands as one of the absolute best entries in the crime genre.
Man, that movie is such a classic. Seeing Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt together just hits different—it’s like a total nostalgia trip. Honestly, looking back at what they've been up to over the last thirty years, it makes me appreciate those flicks even more. But seriously, those 90s cheese movies are just so good. They have a specific vibe you just don't see anymore.
I don't have anything against Batista, but he just has such a strange look about him, haha. I don't know, he gives off this vibe like he's some kind of six-foot snake, it's just weird. Kind of reminds me of the Anaconda from the movie Anaconda.
I have my doubts about whether this one is going to pull in massive profits. Honestly, it feels like movie theaters have been struggling to make real money lately, and since Banks is known for directing total blockbusters, I’m leaning towards this being a box office flop. That said, the plot itself is absolutely insane.
This whole thing sounds absolutely insane—what a wild concept for a movie. But then I see Elizabeth Banks is directing, and honestly, that doesn't exactly give me confidence that it'll be any good.
It’s honestly not surprising that things have gone downhill since Netflix took over the whole production scene. Once they get their hands on a project, it’s just about churning out content until people get bored. You don't really have much of a choice when you're handed a $400 million check; you're expected to just follow orders. It’s the same old story: corporations always stifle creativity. They always have, and they always will.
A corporation can handle computing, simulations, or technical logistics, but they simply cannot produce art. It’s just not in their DNA, and it never has been. We see this pattern play out every single time a massive company buys something up and starts mass-producing it.
You can't have a board of directors or a market research team manufacture something meaningful in the arts. It always feels manufactured—it’s fake, through and through. You can feel that lack of soul in every single frame and every passing moment. We all know it when we see it.
At the Oscars, I bet we're going to see a massive wave of "women talking about how they felt" movies. There's a really high chance that big hits like Top Gun or Avatar won't get anything close to recognition, and even Aftersun might struggle because it doesn't fit the current ideological mold. It’s not a certainty, but I can feel it in my bones.
This whole cultural shift and the constant purging happening in Hollywood feels like a throwback to much darker eras. It reminds me of that great film from the 80s, Mephisto. Honestly, everything else today feels just like that.
I have a huge list of movies I could watch any time. It’s not that I’m constantly watching them, but if they happen to be on when I'm looking for something, I’ll definitely pick them. I'll use your format to lay mine out.
50s: North by Northwest, Vertigo, Rear Window (honestly, it’s easier just to say "all the Hitchcock films from the 50s"), 12 Angry Men, On the Waterfront, Ben-Hur, Rio Bravo, The Searchers, Sunset Blvd, Quo Vadis, Paths of Glory
60s: The Great Escape, Dr. Strangelove, Easy Rider, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Planet of the Apes, The Pink Panther, Psycho, The Italian Job, James Bond: Goldfinger, Night of the Living Dead, Black Sabbath
70s: Star Wars IV, The Godfather 1 and 2, Rocky 1 and 2, The Sting, Halloween, TCM, Dawn of the Dead, Alien, Jaws, The French Connection, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Driver
80s: Blade Runner, Star Wars V, The Terminator, Predator, Aliens, Die Hard, A Christmas Carol, Thief, Ghostbusters 1 and 2, Back to the Future 1 and 2, Indiana Jones 1, 2, and 3, Coming to America, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, The Breakfast Club, National Lampoon's Vacation, European Vacation, Christmas Vacation, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Thing, Day of the Dead, Escape from New York, Just Before Dawn, Burning, Scarface, Platoon. I should probably stop there—if I kept going with the 80s, I could spend all day listing comedies and horror flicks. For me, this was easily the best era.
90s: Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jurassic Park, Dumb and Dumber, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Home Alone 1 and 2, Ed Wood, The Usual Suspects, The Sixth Sense, Saving Private Ryan, The Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, The Big Lebowski, Fargo, Seven, Scream 1 and 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Kingpin. Same thing as the 80s, I could go on forever with this decade.
2000s: Big Fish, Lord of the Rings, Mulholland Drive, Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, No Country for Old Men, Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2, [REC] 1 and 2, 28 Days Later, The Collector, Pineapple Express, Superbad, Borat, Jackass, etc.
2010s: The Conjuring, Baby Driver, Arrival, The Martian, Interstellar, Django Unchained, Blade Runner 2049, 50/50... there are definitely more.
I've seen every single one of these several times, but my absolute favorites have to be Star Wars, Pulp Fiction, Jaws, and Dawn of the Dead.
I just watched a 45-minute deep dive analysis of Halloween Ends, and honestly, those people are out of their minds. It is genuinely impressive how someone can take something that was so incredibly grounded and mediocre and turn it into a massive, hour-long ordeal. Spending 45 minutes dissecting that movie is just pathological. Seriously, those folks need to be checked into a facility for some serious observation.
Terrifier isn't just some trashy flick we happen to like; this is a cult classic that's easily a thousand times better than the recent reboot of Halloween. This is what a real movie for Halloween should feel like. Finally, someone actually made a proper film. If you don't see that, you honestly just don't "get" horror movies, and that’s fine. It's okay if it's not your thing, but that doesn't make it a bad movie. It's terrifyingly well-made with incredible timing and pacing—it hits every single beat a top-tier horror needs to hit. Most importantly? It’s genuinely scary. It strikes that perfect balance between dark humor and pure dread, which is incredibly hard to pull off. The guy behind Terrifier truly understands the genre and knows how to craft a masterpiece.
The whole Clown Cafe sequence is basically the entire movie in one go. If that isn't a perfect scene, I don't know what is. It's unsettling yet somehow fun at the same time—just a masterfully executed dream sequence. I don't see anyone topping this kind of horror for a long, long, long time.
Those cookie-cutter meta-horror creators are never going to reach this level because they lack the imagination. They don't grasp the essence of the genre they're working in, and they're too afraid to really let go of the brakes. To borrow from the great masters of epic horror randomness: that's where the true horror lives. This movie has everything.
Don't get me wrong, I love Friday the 13th, but that's a formulaic slasher. It has its moments within its subgenre and is definitely one of the better ones out there, but this is on a completely different level.
With a Worldwide Gross of 91 million, the movie lost money. Look, losing cash doesn't inherently mean the film was bad, but it sends a clear signal to the suits in Hollywood: they aren't going to throw money at projects that don't pay off. Nobody invests just to watch their capital vanish. It’s a weird cycle—sometimes things go great, sometimes they tank. When superhero flicks make a killing while genuinely high-quality films earn nothing and bleed cash, the entire industry shifts its focus entirely toward capes and tights. As Tarantino once noted, most people are just sitting around waiting for this superhero bubble to finally burst. Ultimately, the Box Office tells you exactly where the industry is headed; when one thing makes a mountain of money, studios just chase that high by churning out endless sequels, cinematic universes, or cheap imitations. That’s just how the business works.
bluebison8 said:Actually, in this specific instance, the lack of historical truth matters quite a bit. For example, this was a slave-holding kingdom that hunted other Black people to sell to Europeans. Eventually, the Frenchman decided enough was enough and moved in to stop them, easily defeating them with minimal losses.
The movie presents the exact opposite...
Well, what did you expect? Showing things realistically is pretty much off-limits these days. Anyway, see you Tuesday, 🤣
I don't really get why anyone would bother watching this movie, but hey, everyone has different tastes. I guess some people will find something to enjoy in it regardless.
I honestly just don't get how he can let his imagination run wild enough to smear someone like Kennedy like that. I can't wrap my head around it. It feels like he either has access to some heavy-duty inside info or he's just lost in these dark, twisted fantasies—but we're talking about real people here.
How would he even feel if someone decided to make a movie where he was portrayed committing sexual assault while filming? It feels like he's crossed a line.