Good idea for a thread. I’ve been on a movie-watching binge over the last few months. Here are the most recent 10 movies I’ve watched. Some of them I’d even call films. I’ll give a rating out of 10, the streaming service and some commentary:
The Night Shift 1982 - HBO Max - 6/10 - This was only Ron Howard’s second film in his long filmmaking career, and its a decent one. Henry Winkler is charming and Michael Keaton is zany. It was a little chaotic and ramshackle for my tastes, but it was worth the time.
Love Birds 2011- Prime Video - 6/10 - If you’re a fan of Rhys Darby and/or Sally Hawkins, you might find this little stripped down rom-com something worthy of a “date night”. It does away with a lot of the cliches you see in the genre, but it’s certainly no masterpiece.
Paycheck 2003 - Prime Video - 6/10 - There’s a 6/10 trend going on here. John Woo’s stylized camera work and Ben Affleck’s halfway decent performance make up for the completely preposterous plot.
Bourne Identity 2002 - Hulu - 7/10 - Yes, I’m one of the seven people who had never seen a Bourne movie up until recently. Spy thrillers aren’t my favorite genre. That said, I was entertained by this slow burn, amnesiatic, CIA super soldier adrenaline pumper. Glad I watched.
Mulan 2020 - Disney+ - 7/10 - Despite the hate coming from multiple political directions, Mulan is a decent live-action rendition of the animated Disney Renaissance classic. As a fan of Chinese/HK film, I loved seeing Jet Li, Gong Li and Donnie Yen in action here. Jason Scott Lee is good as the big bad. That’s a lot of people named Li/Lee.
Bright 2017 - Netflix - 5/10 - I held off for a long time watching this because I knew I’d be disappointed. Trying to bring the Lord of the Rings together with a David Ayer-styleTraining Day/End of Watch buddy cop gone wrong action drama? That’s crazy. And it almost works, thanks to Will Smith and especially Joel Edgerton pulling off sympathetic performances. Almost.
Secret Garden 1993 - HBO Max - 8/10 - I actually saw this years ago, and have read the book. It’s charming, and children especially should love this classic. It does the book proud.
Secret Garden 2020 - Hulu - 3/10 - Well, that was unfortunate. Someone has fallen in love with CGI, but doesn’t know how to tell a good story. Stick with the 1993 version.
Emma 2020 - HBO Max - 9/10 - Speaking of classic books rendered elegantly on screen, here’s a really good one. It gets a little jumbled and confusing, especially at the beginning, with all the characters and their complex relationships, but the performances, the costumes, the hair-styling and the set design easily make up for any plot convolutions. Anya Taylor-Joy holds her own as the title character, and the director brings a wicked charm to the piece.
Bourne Supremacy 2004 - Hulu - Wow, I liked this even better than the first one. I think we can relate better to Matt Damon’s Bourne portrayal here, as things get more personal for the character. The car chases in these movies are beyond ridiculous, but the rest of the action and intrigue make up for the offense. I’m looking forward to the Ultimatum!
