Posts by granitehound19

I’m with you—it starts out strong, but then the tone shifts just a little too much... honestly, around midnight I was seriously considering just turning the whole thing off and calling it a night, but I told myself... just twenty more minutes, let's see where this goes before I give up on it.☕

That opening scene, and maybe even that one near the end, actually gave me some serious Quentin Tarantino vibes... they just lull you in with the storytelling and then—BOOM.
Those two scenes were easily the highlights of the movie for me. The acting was spot on, and you could genuinely feel the tension building in the room.

7/10

Karen Smith9 said:That movie is absolute garbage... seriously... just drive, speed, drive, drive, drive... and that's the whole plot. It's easily one of the biggest pieces of trash released in the last thirty years—I mean, I don't know anyone who actually thinks that movie is good. Keanu Reeves? Please...👎

Look, I’ll say it too—he’s actually pretty damn good... that puts us two in agreement... me and Keanu... ☕

northerncrane4 said:There is no Se7en—only Speed. The list is disqualified, and the mechanic is in the hospital.

That was my first thought too... I mean, how can you have "Fight Club" on there but totally miss "Seven"?☕
Maybe he just completely blanked on 🤷
...

An absolute must-watch thriller 👍
Like others have already pointed out, the cast is just incredible and they all delivered top-tier performances... I have to say, even Ben Affleck caught me completely off guard with how good he was here.
I was particularly drawn to the pacing; it starts off at a measured crawl, but with every passing scene, the tension ramps up and builds more intensity, meaning there isn't a single wasted moment or any unnecessary filler to slow things down.
I should probably mention that the movie clocks in at over two hours, but honestly, that doesn't pose even the slightest issue for the viewer because that constant sense of escalation keeps you glued to the screen, making it impossible to think about anything else besides what's unfolding right in front of you...

9/10 👍

Lately, I’ve actually developed a pretty foolproof system for rating movies on IMDb. It’s simple: if I drift off halfway through, it’s an automatic 2 or 3 out of 10. If the movie manages to keep me awake but leaves me feeling totally indifferent, I usually land somewhere in the 4 to 6 range. But, if I actually stay conscious until the credits roll and the story sticks with me, that’s when you see the high scores...
Any guesses what this one earned....

...a solid 3, because I was out like a light until some obnoxious explosion jolted me awake. Honestly, though, I can't even be mad about it; getting that nap in was actually enough to recharge my batteries, and I even managed to power through the end of the film 😉

Twitter
this is clearly a movie made for kids, because only a child would have the patience for this kind of garbage. It doesn't surprise me at all that it flopped, given how low-quality it is—they probably realized it wouldn't fly with adults and decided to just dump it on the App Store as a "kids' movie" instead 👎

I found it completely unwatchable, and despite my absolute best efforts to power through and see it until the end, I just couldn't manage it👎
I don't know, it's just fundamentally dull and mindless... The acting across the entire cast is a total disaster—maybe it was intentional, but it's honestly pretty repulsive 🤷

👎

I guess I’ll jump on the bandwagon and join the praise train too...
I just binged all five episodes back-to-back, and honestly, I don't feel drained at all—in fact, just like quietdriver3 said, I could easily go for 🙂
It’s a great movie (well, series) about zombies that hits every single beat you'd expect from the genre, and they execute them incredibly well. Everything from the sniper kills, which I personally found super satisfying, to those scenes where they just tear through attractive characters—who end up screaming in terror covered in blood—it's all handled with just enough dark humor to distract us for a split second before the next massacre begins. And the ending? It sticks the landing perfectly 👍

5+/10 🙏

wiredeagle5 said:I can't wait!
Though, honestly, I’m pretty sure it won't hit quite like the first one did... but I've already mentally prepared myself not to expect much, just so I don't end up disappointed. Usually, when people get their hopes up way too high or hear nothing but glowing, amazing reviews, they just end up let down... so yeah, like I said, I've lowered my expectations 😬

Anyway, I watched the extended cut, so I was actually a little confused at first when I heard that the woman at the very end of the movie would be returning in the sequel... ( because I realized she's actually dead at the end 🤷 since she sees her little girl who passed away... )) — I couldn't even bring myself to type that out. Sorry about that

I’ve run into the exact same issue myself, and there's a simple workaround if you want to fix it. When you're setting the text color, just swap out "black" for "white" instead...

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Honestly, watching Black Cat, White Cat just gives me major Alan Ford vibes. It’s especially uncanny because there’s this one character who basically sticks to Alan Ford like glue throughout the entire movie... 🙂

It’s honestly bizarre that nobody has brought up what is arguably the greatest soundtrack ever composed ☕

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jy0RzZ18LYY

Looking back, last year was really defined by "In Bruges" for me. It absolutely blew me away, especially since I went into it totally blind without any preconceived notions. I should probably mention that Colin Farrell isn't exactly at the top of my list of favorite actors, but I ended up "borrowing" the film from Dropbox just because Ralph Fiennes was in it. Speaking of Bruges, I saw that Rubeša over at The New York Times gave it a three-star rating recently, which, I have to admit, really rubbed me the wrong way. I can only hope that score was just a total shot in the dark—or maybe they didn't even bother watching it, which seems to be their specialty lately...
I might also highlight the latest installment in the Batman saga, along with the return of Rambo and the cinematic legend Clint Eastwood, who basically tears through everything like a force of nature...

It just hit me that "Slumdog Millionaire" came out in 2008, and honestly, out of all the films from that year I've seen, it’s easily my favorite. It’s one of those movies that keeps you oscillating between laughter and tears, leaving you with this heavy, sinking feeling in your gut long after the credits roll. #1 movie of the year!

I'm feeling pretty let down, much like quietdriver3 felt about Indiana Jones... actually, "let down" doesn't even cover it; I am absolutely livid and incensed %$$%&"%$"#!"!"$/&/(/()$ and equally disappointed by "Burn After Reading" because I had such massive expectations %&%$!!"!!#"¨!#"#%

Anthony Smith3 said:JCVD (2008) 4.5/5 - TRAILER
Look, I’ll just come out with it right away because I know some of you probably already get it... I’m a total Van Damme fan. I grew up on his movies, loved them as a kid, and honestly, I haven't outgrown them one bit—just like the "Goonies," "Conan," "Flash Gordon," and all those other flicks from my childhood. I've always felt he was underrated, both as an action icon and an actor, especially compared to the big names everyone hypes up like Stallone, Willis, or Schwarzenegger. In my book, his movie quality held its own against theirs, and he definitely had more acting ambition (and looked better than most, excluding Stallone). This movie proves it, too; it won over the critics and even a good chunk of the general public who usually can't stand him. I'll try to keep this objective, but don't blame me if I get a little carried away.
Basically, the film blurs the lines between reality and fiction. It uses this half-comedic, half-serious, almost "documentary" style to show the highs and lows of a washed-up action star's life—specifically Jean-Claude Van Damme. It touches on his rise and fall, the baggage he carries (drugs, legal battles over kids, terrible roles, and bad movies), most of which were his own fault. Then there's this fictional setup where he's a celebrity suspected of a bank robbery, leading to a hostage situation that isn't what it seems. The movie is packed with quality, from the technical side to the direction and acting. To me, it feels like a mix of Tarantino and the French New Wave, with a heavy dose of "Being John Malkovich" and "Dog Day Afternoon." If I'm wrong, correct me, but I think "JCVD" pulls from multiple styles—the editing, the cinematography, the framing, and the non-linear storytelling that shows different perspectives, which is classic Tarantino. Even the music choice fits perfectly.
The film kicks off with a long action sequence shot in one continuous take lasting about three and a half minutes, set to that great "Hard Times" track by Baby Huey. One thing to note: during that sequence, some of the villains Van Damme is tossing around are speaking American. At one point, you can actually hear a famous line from his old movie "Lionheart" — "First I'm gonna beat you, then I'm gonna screw you" LOL, a great little Easter egg that only real fans will catch. But moving on. That opening is exciting, funny, and a bit trashy all at once. It's the perfect way to show how tough and thankless it is to be a faded B-movie action star in an industry where everything is mass-produced just to make a quick buck. Don't let the action fool you, though; this isn't just another mindless shoot like his 80s and 90s stuff. Most of the action you see here isn't even the point of the movie.
"JCVD" is really a commentary on Van Damme's career and the entire action genre from the 80s and 90s. It name-drops pretty much every star from that era... Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Seagal, Chuck Norris, even Rutger Hauer. It even brings up John Woo, one of the absolute masters of the genre behind cult classics like "Hard Boiled" and "The Killer." It highlights how Van Damme’s persistence helped break into a Hollywood that barely knew who Woo was back then, even though the director was a massive star overseas. One of the characters even points this out. He says,"Man would probably still be throwing clay pigeons in Hong Kong if it wasn't for Van Damme". Would he? Who knows, but honestly, it doesn't even matter.
The movie shows just how much Van Damme hates his own career—the flicks he’s made and the mess he’s in now, basically "stuck" filming cheap action movies produced in Eastern Europe. He actually makes fun of himself for it. After Seagal snatched a role from him just because he trimmed his goatee, Van Damme took a gig in some low-budget trash without even reading the script, simply because he needed the cash. As funny as that sounds, it’s pretty close to the truth. It’s no secret that Van Damme hasn't been happy with his filmography; very few projects ever met his standards, which is likely why he decided to shake things up and try to hit the reset button on his career.
A young director and one of the writers, Mabrouk El Mechri, did a Lionheart job here. By managing to pull the best out of Van Damme—that raw acting talent that’s been buried for years—he crafted a film that's entertaining, sad, nostalgic, and genuinely smart. The great (and occasionally long) shots, expressive camera angles, washed-out cinematography, the color palette, and an incredible soundtrack are all tools he uses to bring his vision to life. It’s worth noting the director isn't some huge Van Damme fan; he only saw a couple of his old movies growing up, so this isn't some "fan tribute" to a fallen star like some might think. The direction is also super sharp, using a sort of Tarantino-style approach to the storytelling that works for a few reasons. First, it keeps the director from showing all his cards upfront; he toys with the audience and the direction of the plot, even if we don't necessarily buy everything we see. Second, it breaks up any potential monotony that would have come from a strictly linear story. What I mean is, the director pulls us away from the hostage situation at the bank—which can get a bit slow—to give us glimpses through flashbacks into the lead character's life, showing us problems that make the bank heist look minor by comparison.
I already mentioned the music, but it bears repeating. Not just the song choices that fit perfectly, but the instrumental score by Gast Waltzing, which sounds like something Lalo Schifrin would compose. All of it builds an amazing atmosphere. The songs used, specifically "Hard Times" by Baby Huey at the start and "Modern Love"—originally by David Bowie, but covered by Maria Mazziotti at the end—feel like they're narrating the actor's life story. "Having hard time in this crazy times" says one, while the other goes "Its not really work, Its just the power to charm, Im still standing in the wind, But I never wave bye bye...But I try, I try". It's not just Van Damme's career that mirrors those lyrics; sometimes it feels like us, too.

To Be Continued...

I've been here three days straight just listening to Baby Huey's album "The Living Legend: The Baby Huey Story," which features the track mentioned above🙏
I went looking for the actual soundtrack, but since I couldn't find it, I just downloaded this album instead—and honestly, I'm kind of obsessed with it...
If anyone happens to stumble upon the official OST, please shoot me a link via PM👍

As for the movie itself... it's excellent, though it left me feeling a bit heavy-hearted. It hits hard because Jean-Claude Van Damme was my childhood hero, and seeing him navigate such brutal moments in his life is tough to watch. That one monologue, in particular, really got to me; it was absolutely stunning and caught me completely off guard...
👍

David Price5 said:Absolute masterpiece 🙏 .That sequence involving the manager, the cab driver, and the courtroom features one of the greatest monologues ever written, not to mention that opening scene... by the way, the opening scene features some real local characters :-)... "First I'm going to beat you, then I'm going to screw you"... if my memory serves me right, he actually used that line in one of his older movies before.

That whole "beat him up first, then have my way with him" bit is straight out of the movie Lionheart 😉

I don't own any firearms, and honestly, I don't even have a brother, so three of those points above are already completely irrelevant to me.
As for whether I finish movies... I rarely ever stop watching once I've started, almost never. Given the sheer volume of films I’ve sat through in my lifetime, there have been only a handful that I actually turned off, and this one happened to be one of them. I just couldn't force myself to keep going because there was absolutely nothing interesting enough to grab me or give me a reason to stick it out until the credits rolled.
If you need proof of how much grit I have when it comes to sitting through a movie—I actually finished ☕Max Payne
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Honestly, you’d probably need to be high as a kite just to find this movie remotely amusing—and I mean talking heavy-duty hallucinogens where you’re seeing white mice tormenting black cats kind of stuff. Now *that* would actually be funny.
A total train wreck from start to finish... I mean, what was even the point of this thing????
It isn't funny, it isn't engaging, and frankly, does it even have a plot or anything at all???
Since I wasn't tripping on any substances, I managed to force myself to sit through about 30 minutes of it, but trying to watch anything further truly felt like a waste of life.
It feels like a handful of buddies grabbed a camera, filmed a few scenes that were clearly only funny to them, and then threw it all together on an old Windows 95 machine with practically zero processing power 😕
And to top it all off... how on earth did this movie manage to scrape a 7.7 rating on IMDb?

BTW, I thought Superbad was great, 40-Year-Old Virgin was alright, but I haven't seen the others ☕

1/10 👎

I honestly only sat through this movie because of Vinny; if he hadn't been in it, I probably would have turned it off halfway through... Everything else was just a total disaster, aside from maybe one or two decent gore scenes. The rest of the cast was subpar, the soundtrack was completely forgettable, and there was zero atmosphere—the ending felt more like a parody than an actual horror flick. All in all, it was a tedious, mediocre mess. Because of Vinny 4/10, I’m giving it this, otherwise the rating would be significantly lower.

Kathy Bates - "Misery"

I don’t have a massive amount of memory left regarding that movie, though that’s likely just because I didn't particularly enjoy it... The one thing that actually stuck with me was the house where everything takes place—it had some really cool gadgets and there was this one other element that felt way too obvious, but I won't spoil it for you all just yet.
By the way, I hadn't even realized this was a remake, and now that I know, it makes perfect sense why the whole plot felt so incredibly predictable.

It’s your classic Sandler flick—nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary by any stretch, but if you're just looking to kill some time and get a few good laughs out of it, it totally hits the mark...