The Films You Watched Thread VI: The Undiscovered Movie

[Dogg Thang]

That hallway scene is a work of absolute genius.

I really like Exorcist 3 and, overall, I think it's a really strong and thoughtful sequel. I do find some sections very talky and drawn out and those get a little harder each watch though.

[wakka]

The hallway scene is awesome.

Yeah, I agree. It's not one that I can give an unqualified recommendation for, because you get the feeling that he wasn't able to 'kill his darlings' on some of the more lengthy and florid dialogue sequences (there are some bits in the cell that go on and on and kind of kill the tension).

But it's a film that's absolutely up my alley* and one that I really enjoyed. I do feel it's quite an overlooked film, probably partly because the 'Exorcist III' moniker doesn't sell it as much more than a cash-in sequel, when it's really quite the opposite.

->Open Spoiler<-

[Atticus]

I remember the first time I saw that hallway scene ... completely caught me off guard. Very clever. Great film.

[Dogg Thang]

resident soft porn impresario Dogg Thang

I just want to mention that I'm very proud of this title.

Last night, I didn't watch any soft porn but I wish I had. I watched The Predator. What an absolute stinker. I had heard negative things and yet even then I was completely taken by surprise. I don't find it difficult to enjoy bad movies, being honest. I can think they're bad but I'll at least often go along for the ride or find parts to like. I don't think I actually enjoyed a single moment of this movie. Shane Black can be really good but just everything about this movie seemed clumsy and misjudged. There might a story behind what happened with this movie but, wow, what a total and utter stinker.

[Colin]

I was reading that post incredulously thinking you were taking the piss there Dogg, not clicking until getting to the mention of Shane Black that you weren't talking about Predator! I didn't even know The Predator existed, sounds like I wish I still didn't.

[Neon Ignition]

Fred Dekker on where The Predator went wrong and how Schwarzenegger fit in (joblo.com)
This only relates to changes that were made to the second half of the film but the comments about the first half kind of suggest to me that in any timeline The Predator was bound to stink to high heaven

[Asura]

Last night, I didn't watch any soft porn but I wish I had. I watched The Predator. What an absolute stinker. I had heard negative things and yet even then I was completely taken by surprise. I don't find it difficult to enjoy bad movies, being honest. I can think they're bad but I'll at least often go along for the ride or find parts to like. I don't think I actually enjoyed a single moment of this movie. Shane Black can be really good but just everything about this movie seemed clumsy and misjudged. There might a story behind what happened with this movie but, wow, what a total and utter stinker.

You just gave me 'nam flashbacks of seeing Aliens Vs Predator 2 in the cinema. It's one of the only movies I've ever seen where I came out and failed to find a single redeeming feature in it.

[Dogg Thang]

Might sound weird but I think I have more admiration for that film. I hated it and I think it’s unbelievably awful but it commits to its awfulness and the result is a train wreck. With The Predator, it just has nothing. I can’t even say, well, they went for it and it didn’t land because it all seems so empty and dull.

[teddymeow]

Jurassic Park

Haven't seen it for years (maybe a decade or so) but, due to being such a huge fan when it came out in 1993, I remembered all the dialogue.

CG has obviously aged in places (mainly daytime scenes like the first time you see a Brachiosaurus and the Gallimimus herd running) but the night stuff like the T-Rex paddock scene is still immense!!

Watched it with Harry who is nearly 7. I was 12 when I first saw it. He loved it and was absolutely ecstatic when the Triceratops turned up as it's his favourite dinosaur.

We're going to do The Lost World next. I know it isn't particularly well regarded but I like it.

[Neon Ignition]

Lost World isn't as good but it gets better with every new sequel they make

[Dogg Thang]

I watched Hustle at the weekend, the Adam Sandler film on Netflix where he is a basketball scout and finds a guy he wants to push into the NBA. I don't know anything about basketball and I suspect people who do will love it but, as almost always, sports films tend to be very easy to enjoy regardless of any prior knowledge because the structure is one that just works. And this film works. It's a good film. Nothing remotely unexpected in it but it works and it's strong.

[Neon Ignition]

X
A 70's horror inspired film that lifts heavily from the likes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It's about a group of people headed to an old farm to film a porno thinking the advent of home media will make them stars. They stay to film the scenes as the creepy old couple at the top of the ranch look on. It's fairly impeccably done but doesn't leave too heavy an impression.


Jurassic World: Dominion
The final entry intended to end the World trilogy and the Park saga as a whole utterly fails at that aim introducing more plot holes than the series had going into it and not tying things up at all. The bad guy is Dodgson from the original film, the man who met with Nedry and passed him the fake shaving cream can. We never knew much about Dodgson but we did have enough that this recast version here makes sod all sense. There's a reference to Isla Sorna that doesn't match the previous film at all, dinosaurs everywhere with no real clear explanation as to how, a plot involving locusts because the writers clearly couldn't come up with an interesting idea for dino's in the real world and more plot armour than you've seen outside of Marvel or Fast and Furious film. My missus went in to watch the latest sequel to Jurassic Park and was hugely disappointed. I went in expecting a sequel to Fallen Kingdom so was alright with this one. It's an easier watch than JP5 even it for long sections it's immensely stupid and seems to be actively disinterested in being a Jurassic film. All of the genetic engineering stuff from the last film is equally as messy and disinteresting here as you'd expect and the addition of the original cast mildly makes up for just how disinteresting Owen and Claire have become as leads.

I'd rank it fifth out of the six films, it's mostly just serviceable generic action film. Knowing Universal is already planning out Jurassic Park VII it immediately brought me back to the preference that if they're going to continue making them I'd rather they Maverick it. This is literally a franchise where new spins, twists, concepts etc harm the appeal of the franchise. It works best offering more of the same, but better made etc. There is one huge plot issue easter egg late in the film that could very easily be leveraged to make the next film one set in 1993/1994 in the abandoned original park, if they do a film they should do that. The more it keeps moving away from that setting the worse it's getting.

[QualityChimp]

The Netflix preview of Hustle had me intrigued, so might check that out.

I Saw Top Gun (1986 via NowTV).
I don't have a particular fondness for this film, seeing it about a decade after it came out and it was okay.
Rewatched it at the weekend for prep for the sequel and it's a pretty thin film.
Maverick is a bit of a prick, to be honest. Following a woman into the ladies toilets in a bid to bang her to win a bet was uncomfortable.
You're supposed to feel this real bond to the pilots and shuffling in the family half-way helps a little, but I still didn't feel it.
The romance part is all over the shop where they're in love after one fling, but are also on-off in their relationship. It just happens so fast.
Visually, it's really interesting where the director has gone for very certain looks. Everybody seems to be perspiring the whole time. Every scene is shot at the Golden Hour.
The final dogfight is always thrilling, though.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022 at the cinema).
So TG:M is one of those rare beasts where the sequel is better than the original, IMHO.
It was fascinating to see how they swapped the characters around to replicate the feel of the original, but also where Maverick fits in - being both the outcast and The Brass.
I thought each section was great, especially the opening test flight and the final third of action.
That final stretch was really thrilling and my expectations of where it would end were met, but then exceeded and I got a bonus bit I wasn't expecting.
There's a fine line between corny bad and cheesy good and I would say the original was corny, but the sequel was cheesy.

Side note: I saw this at a ScreenX at Cineworld (which takes Tesco Clubcard vouchers, voucher-fans!), which is a new gimmick to entice people from their home into the cinema. Unlike 4DX, which has moving seats, fans and splashes, this has screens either side of the main screen.
It's not used in every scene, which would have been unecessary and distracting, but it was used sparingly in the flight sections.
Not 100% perfect because you get a bit of light leak onto the screens and there are clearly visible seams and Exit signs, but for a film like this, it worked really well, adding some real immersion to those scenes in the air.
It won't revolutionise cinema, but I'd deffo see the right film on it again.
Not sure if Jurassic World: Dominion is Screen X, but bigger dinos is always a good thing!

[Finsbury Girl]

Revolver - yeah everyone hates it, I love it the only bad thing in it is Jason's barnet !

Top Gun Maverick - you know that Office meme "its the same picture" that's the impression I got. But you know what, I really enjoyed it. They actually managed to make it work. Not sure why two of the pilots weren't called Biggs and Wedge and as Chris Rock once said George Lucas is gonna sue somebodies ass

It was my first time in a cinema for a while and this was worth it, big booming sound, big comfy recliners and big screen. Ace!

[fallenangle]

Have to say I'm quite looking forward to Jumanji, The Next Level which is being shown for the first time on C4 on Saturday.

Not a huge fan of the last film but it entertained well enough even second time through so at the very least it meets my "not so boring that it makes me want to turn it off" standard. Hope this is more of the same.

Also should mentioned the trailer C4 are running for it is a film editing tour de force - all done to the soundtrack of House Of Pain's classic: Jump Around.