Every Film You've Watched in 2024

[Donomark]

Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown - Directed by Michael Jai White

Unlike Blood and Bone which took a potentially middling premise and made it sufficiently awesome, this is far more in line with what I was originally expecting from the last MJW movie. Having not seen the original (and correctly presuming I didn't need to), I went into this movie blank. It's an amusing, almost nostalgic watch of a 2000s film even though it's 2010. The script is pretty lousy. Acting across the board is amateur and lame, save for MJW and Evan Peters who I understand returns from the first film. 

The movie has that DTV 2000s era feel with a real dudebro sentiment and homophobia that feels both part of the culture and also aging out. Like, the homophobia is vaguely part of a character's backstory and the movie ultimately disagrees with it, but it could've disavowed it harder than it did. On that point, it's also fairly unwittingly gay itself, which is always amusing. A lot of bare-chested rivalries that you swear to God is going to end with a vicious pounding to the tune of porno instrumentals until it doesn't.

I actually was amused by the movie, badness and all. Michael Jai White is great as always, and there's a lot of him bleeding through the character he's playing when talking about actual fighting. Honestly whenever he's on-screen, the movie is perfectly fine. When he's off, it's a roll of the dice on how good or bad the actors will be. But nothing ruined the film for me, I'll check out the sequel. 

[Professor]

On 2/18/2024 at 12:31 PM, Donomark said:

I've not seen Madame Web and really don't expect to, but from all reports it sounds like we've got a real Catwoman 2004 on our hands. Not like Morbius, which was overrated in its badness, but truly especially lousy.

But I had fun watching Catwoman.  Granted, I had years of 'hype' around it (I watched it for the first time last year).  It is a bad film, but people were still trying.  I can't say the same for Madame Web.  It is just so phoned in: the acting, effects, script, editing. 

[slothian]

On 2/18/2024 at 5:31 PM, Donomark said:

I've not seen Madame Web and really don't expect to, but from all reports it sounds like we've got a real Catwoman 2004 on our hands. Not like Morbius, which was overrated in its badness, but truly especially lousy.

3 hours ago, Professor said:

But I had fun watching Catwoman.  Granted, I had years of 'hype' around it (I watched it for the first time last year).  It is a bad film, but people were still trying.  I can't say the same for Madame Web.  It is just so phoned in: the acting, effects, script, editing. 

This is very on note for reasons that will become abundantly clear soon ( @Pan-dub)

[Donomark]

Never Back Down 3: No Surrender a.k.a. The Fighters: No Surrender a.k.a. Never Back Down: Thailand: Once again starring and directed by Michael Jai White

Six years after the second film, this series has no become totally wrenched away from the low-stakes college pretty boy antics and into a pure MJW franchise. As such, it's an automatically better film than NBD2 by a solid distance. It's not actively excellent, but the requirements for an acceptable and logical plot are all there. While there are some small contrivances for the needs of its plot, it's all reasonably grounded to where nothing feels missing, as opposed to the last movie.

And MJW has a story credit, which explains the film's active interest in the fighting world. Some of it is silly, but you can really tell where the real man bleeds through his character when he is actively instructing people on the real life basics and essentials of fighting. That's where the film's heart at. Although he's playing a near-unbeatable badass who's stoicism is met with derision at every turn until it's not, in this film Case Walker mellows out a lot more, due in no small part to his wife Gillian White playing his love interest. They'd been married for a year by the time this film released, and she provides a real warm presence to the movie. Of course their chemistry is nice and easy, but as an actress she holds scenes together when she's paired up with anyone else not named MJW or Esai Morales.

Because most of the acting in this is horrible, and majorly due to Josh Barnett who's essentially the second lead. I respect MJW's insistence to use real fighters, but this guy is worse than all of the kids in NBD2, which is saying something. When he's given dialogue, that's when you remember this is a DTV movie.

On the other side of real life martial artists, we've got two fucking LEGENDS of the Muay Thai films era making appearances. Jeeja Yanin has a cameo throughout the movie as a silent badass who shows off her brutality in one welcome fight scene, and Tony Jaa cameos during the final fight as a wacky, howling version of himself. This is pure fanboyism on MJW's part, and it's fun to see them. If you're unfamiliar with either performer's work (Tony Jaa by this point has been in several American action films like Fast and Furious 7 and XXX-3) it may not play, but these two are the best of the best. Their presence reiterates how MJW uses his movies to just geek out about fighting, more than anything else and it's infectious fun. 

[Dread]

Been absolute shit at watching movies lately. But I am on season 5 of Star Trek: Voyager...

The Wind: I watched this on Youtube. It's the 1928 silent film that the modern film was based on (review forthcoming). Looking forward to talking about the compare/contrast of it all.

The Burial: a pretty typical "true-story" underdog film. The real sell on this movie is the interplay between Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones. Fun, but forgettable.

Fulci For Fake: going to talk about this on the podcast, but what a weird fucking movie. Do I count this as a documentary? I guess I will.

Brainscan: review forthcoming.

• Features: 18
• Shorts: 
• Documentaries: 3
• Rewatches: 

[Donomark]

Re-watched Roadhouse over the weekend. 

Perfectly sufficient B-movie actioner on its own that would've floated just fine if it were a Chuck Norris led movie, but Patrick Swayze makes this special. There's something about him that was far, Far FAR more believable as the stoic, peaceful, charming badass than many of the action icons of the era. And the movie is trying so hard to be obnoxiously masculine and toxic (it definitely achieves that in the eyes of a female friend in the viewing's attendance), but I think Swayze's softer approach and easier presence alters it enough where the bravado of these types of films doesn't land exactly the same as all the others. It's had its markings: Somewhat gratuitous sex and nudity, gratuitous violence, male characters who try to out-alpha the next guy in the room. But it's Patrick Swayze who both legitimizes and alleviates all the testosterone from crowding the film like smog. Plus, he does a straight-up Fatality on a guy before Mortal Kombat. I'm intrigued by the Jake Gyllenhaal remake, but this original movie is lightning in a bottle. There's no reason it should've worked as well as it did, but it did. 

[S-T]

Freddy vs. Jason - It has been a very long time since I watched this. I'm more of a nitpicker now, and I could probably write 1000 words on all of the plot holes, jumping to conclusions etc. And give me a break with the excuse that Kelly Rowland ad-libbed her infamous insult. The scene could have been re-shot, or that line edited out. You released the movie with the line.

[S-T]

On 3/11/2024 at 8:53 PM, Donomark said:

Re-watched Roadhouse over the weekend.

Terry Funk didn't seem that big in WWE but when you put a pro wrestler with normal-sized guys he looks enormous.

[Dread]

The Holdovers: wow. Excellent. Great 70s feel. Giamatti at the top of his powers. That woman definitely deserved that Oscar.

American Fiction: did not enjoy this. I thought it was stupid. It's got the plot of a bad 90s sitcom. Without Jeffery Wright, I would have turned this off. He's awesome.

Perversion Story/Murderock/The Devil's Honey/Aenigma: reviews forthcoming.

Florence: feature for the festival

• Features: 25
• Shorts: 
• Documentaries: 3
• Rewatches: 

[Davedevil]

Split (2016): Continuing my Letterboxd list of comic/superhero movies I've missed. James McAvoy is one of my favorite actors, which is why I've always had some interest in this, but I never really sought it out until I watched and loved Unbreakable. Goddamn was this good. For all the unease around this movie's depiction of DID, I do think it's sympathetic to Kevin Crumb while still showing his alters' actions as horrifying. Then you have Casey (Anya Taylor Joy) being a survivor as well. It's a little typical for a horror movie with this type of premise, but it's a solidly told story with a good amount of empathy.

Really curious how Glass ties it all together. I've heard mixed things but I feel like it'll be interesting regardless.

[Dread]

Demonia: review came out last week.

Road House: I have to say I really enjoyed this. It knows it's a piece of shit. There's weird unnecessary CGI in the opening fight scene, the villain has a diorama of how he's going to develop the land he wants to steal...It's everything a bad movie needs.

Spasms: review forthcoming

The Truth vs. Alex Jones: this HBO doc goes to the heart of the lawsuits for Jones' lies about Sandy Hook. It's good, but ultimately frustrating and unsatisfying due to the whole him not getting the shit kicked out of him thing.

• Features: 28
• Shorts: 
• Documentaries: 4
• Rewatches: 

[S-T]

Star Wars Episode VIII: I said when it was in theaters that I didn't see a "feminist" or a "woke" agenda here, and I still don't after this re-watch. Some people are just way too sensitive. I thought Rose died after the crash with Finn and was surprised to see her be OK.

[Dread]

The Iron Claw: this has its issues (it's a little flat, TBH) and a little rote. I understand why they removed the sixth Von Erich brother from the story because even if it was replaced with bland stuff, it still provides a break in one of the bleakest popular cinema releases in a long time. 

Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat: review forthcoming

Imaginary: review forthcoming

Beyond the Dunwich Horror: review forthcoming

The Abandoned/Megalomaniac: review forthcoming

Night Swim: review forthcoming

birth/rebirth: review forthcoming

Voices Carry/First Person Savior/Fragment/The Bytes Dreams are Made of: features for the festival

Take Back the Night: review forthcoming

Dark Harvest: a  rewatch but i've also rewatched something else now that i think about it. Damn. 

• Features: 41
• Shorts: 
• Documentaries: 4
• Rewatches: 1

[Dread]

On 4/1/2024 at 3:38 PM, S-T said:

Star Wars Episode VIII: I said when it was in theaters that I didn't see a "feminist" or a "woke" agenda here, and I still don't after this re-watch. Some people are just way too sensitive. I thought Rose died after the crash with Finn and was surprised to see her be OK.

I'm pretty sure the "woke agenda" people saw two women (one of them is an Asian!) and a black guy being cast and that's all they needed. Probably because of the dumb.

[S-T]

Alien (1979): First time seeing this in the theater. I was surprised to see how packed it was. Could not see this in the theater when it was released because I was 5 years old.

[S-T]

On 4/26/2024 at 9:59 PM, S-T said:

Alien (1979): First time seeing this in the theater. I was surprised to see how packed it was. Could not see this in the theater when it was released because I was 5 years old.

It was so strange to see people smoking as soon as they woke up from stasis. It was such a different time then.

Glad that smoking is no longer normalized in movies. I've lost family to lung cancer.

[Donomark]

Kill Boksoon: A Korean action flick about a single-mom career assassin who's wanting to get out of the life. This was actually kind of a rollercoaster throughout. I wasn't sure how I was liking it, but the main character and her genuine attempts to connect with her closeted teen daughter endeared me, and kept me rooting for her as the Korean underworld slowly began turning against her. Ultimately I enjoyed this.