Moviewatcher122's 2016 Film Diary: August

August 1



I was just blown away by this movie. I've seen so many revenge movies, but this one still managed to impress me. I just really loved the simplicity of this film and was invested in this story. It's also very well-acted and is just a visual work of art. It's a wonderful film and I can see how Quentin Tarantino got the inspiration for Kill Bill from this.

August 2



"My friend, Sigourney, once said: rescue, rehabilitate, release!"

I absolutely loved this movie and this is coming from someone who has a very high regard for Finding Nemo. I wasn't 100% sure if they were going to pull this off, but they did it. Pixar made a great sequel to one of their films that wasn't Toy Story.

On a comedic standpoint I can easily say that it's better than the first movie in that regard. Maybe it's just because I've seen Finding Nemo so many times, but Finding Dory just had so many hilarious moments and Dory was just as funny as she was in the first one. One of the reasons I wasn't sure about this movie is because this time they were putting the comic relief character in the spotlight like they did with Cars 2, but after watching this I remembered that Dory has more depth than the standard comic relief role. I was also really invested in the story and I also really liked the new characters in this movie as well. The best new character though is definitely Hank the octopus as he was just really funny. It also really hits when it comes to emotion. It was just as powerful as it was in the first movie and just as touching.

Honestly I couldn't really find any problems with this movie. I thought it was the perfect sequel to my favorite Pixar film and favorite animated movie in general. While it probably wouldn't make my top 5 favorite Pixar movies, I do think it's the best sequel Pixar has put out since Toy Story 2 and 3 and I wouldn't mind watching it multiple times like I did with Finding Nemo.

August 3



"When you give up your dream, you die."

I'm not the biggest fan of the whole dance movie genre, but this was actually pretty good. I'm mostly not interested in watching other people dance, but this movie is more story-driven than anything which I really liked. It was a very charming movie with a good story as far as dance movies go, likeable characters and it was also really funny at times. Overall this was a solid movie and it's probably the best dance movie in general.

August 6



This was a fresh take on something as tired as the whole found footage concept. It had a really strong premise that was executed very well. It had this chilling atmosphere throughout the film and it kept me interested in what was going to happen. Also the characters were really fleshed out and I really liked this movie's sense of humor which relied more on clever dialogue instead of the cheap laughs that some other horror comedies have. As far as horror elements go it doesn't really kick in until the last 20 minutes, but when it does it's delightfully entertaining cheese. However, I can understand why this movie has the low ratings that it does as it's not for everyone, but it is worth checking out if you want to see a different kind of found footage film.

August 7



"I'm from the FBI."
"Whoa man. I didn't mean to kill that guy. How was I supposed to know he had a bad heart?"
"Hey. I'm not here for that. I thought that was part of the act. Until the paramedics came I was laughing my ass off."

This was a stupid movie that I only watched as a result of looking for a comedy film on Netflix that I hadn't seen before. I should've just avoided this movie for the rest of my life because it's just godawful. The way this so-called comedy starts off is pretty dark and the main character of this movie is... well he's not unlikable per se, but he just has zero charm. Dan whatshisname in general just feels like a discount Jack Black and his presence here is very forgettable. This movie also is supposedly a spoof of sports movies or something, but it doesn't feel like a spoof at all and just feels like a generic sports movie. To this film's credit there is an occasionally funny joke here and there and Christopher Walken does deliver a good performance here, but this is one of those cases where even he can't save this movie. This is just a painfully unfunny movie where most of the humor amounts to groin shots because "lol this movie is called Balls of Fury" and jokes that took the writers a few seconds to come up with.

August 8



"You take it away... to show them what they had."

I don't think I'll surprise anyone by saying that this is the weakest film that I've seen from Christopher Nolan. It's still pretty good though as it does have an engaging story and characters. It also has some great black and white cinematography and a beautiful soundtrack, but it feels a bit too simplistic compared to his other films and doesn't quite reach that level of greatness that the rest of his work has. Still, this was Nolan's debut film and it was made on a very low budget, so this movie is pretty good for what it is. Even though it's not his best work by any means, it is an important one and it is worth watching. Especially if you want to see how Nolan started off.

August 9



"What's wrong?"
"I need something stronger."
"Take four red capsules. In 10 minutes, take two more. Help is on the way."

...

Wow... this movie left me speechless. This is quite possibly the weirdest and most bizarre films that I've seen in quite some time. Did I like this movie? For the most part, yes I did. Most of the time I really liked it a lot, but there were also some instances where I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. I will say that it is a very unique film and it surprisingly holds up pretty well for a sci-fi film that was made in the 70's. While it is a very weird movie and I can't say that I completely understood it, it's still a very good movie and I'd be glad to watch it again.

George Luca's decision to add CGI to the director's cut on the other hand was so stupid that it needs to be mentioned here. *sigh* He couldn't even leave his first movie alone.

August 10



"Owen, what the hell did you do to my wife?"
"Ehh, I don't want to say over the phone. All I can tell ya is that I killed her last night."

I was expecting this movie to be funny, but I had no idea it would be this funny. It's a hilarious movie that works as a dark comedy and even as a suspenseful thriller. Billy Crystal and Danny DeVito made for a great comedic duo and there was just so many great moments here. I've heard about the frying pan scene before I saw this movie and after seeing it I have to say that that's one of the funniest scenes in this movie. Just the timing alone with that scene made it really funny. It's an underrated comedy and this is probably one of my favorites out of all the movies that Danny Devito has directed.

Speaking of that, this is the third directorial debut I have watched in a row. What a crazy coincidence.

August 11



"The ones that say they don't want anything always get more in the end."

This was a pretty good movie. It has a story that was pretty groundbreaking for its time and it still is just as effective as it was back then. While it's not Hitchcock's best work and it is doesn't quite reach the level of greatness that his other films have, it's still a solid movie and I'd probably still consider it to be a classic.

August 13



"You lost a lot of blood but we found most of it."

For a spoof movie that came out at the time when spoof movies were slowly dying, this one isn't that bad. In fact, it's actually decent. While there are a few jokes that didn't work, most of the gags in this movie were actually funny and some were reminiscent of the classic spoof films. It does help that this is directed by Jim Abrahams who I always thought did a better job on his own as a director than David Zucker did since he hasn't done anything note-worthy since Baseketball. It's far from perfect though and it becomes a real mess around the last 10 minutes or so where it felt like the creative team of this movie just gave up and just threw random bullshit at us instead of giving ending it properly. Granted, it's not uncommon for spoof movies to have outlandish endings, but this was just rushed and all over the place. Other than that though it was a decent spoof on the mafia genre and it's not as bad as everyone says.

August 14



"Can a brother and a sister get a divorce?"

This was a fantastic tribute to the Peanuts franchise. The attention to detail to making this feel like an authentic Peanuts movie was amazing and there was just so many great things about this movie. Everything from the breath-taking animation, the humor and the writing made me feel like I was watching a Peanuts special. I loved everything about this movie and I'm really glad that they did the source material justice.

August 17



"Do the roar!"

I wasn't so sure about this sequel due to Shrek the Third being a letdown and from the bits and pieces I saw of this movie, it didn't look too promising. To my surprise though this was actually pretty good and is what Shrek the Third should've been. What I really liked about this one is how story-driven this instalment was. I was actually impressed on how focused on the story this one is and is not a laugh-fest like the first two Shreks which is a good thing since the previous movie did have some pretty bad jokes. Even with that said most of the jokes this movie has does work and some of them were pretty clever. It's a pretty solid sequel that's somewhat underrated and it was a good way to end the series... except that now there's going to be a Shrek 5. Well, one of the alternate titles for this movie is Shrek: The Final Chapter, so I guess the whole Final Chapter subtitle is nothing but an ironic title.

August 18



"Dad died of a heart attack!"
"No. He died from fear. The fear of it killed him."

I knew this one was going to suck, but I watched it anyways just so I can finish this series that didn't need to be a series in the first place. Even though the previous two movies were entertaining, I can't say I would be sad if they didn't exist. Going into it I thought the biggest problem with this movie was going to be how stupid it is, but that's actually the least of this film's problems. The real problem with this movie is that it's so damn boring! Literally nothing interesting happens for most of this movie and the characters are too boring to connect with.

The acting was terrible as well. With the exception of Michael Caine none of the actors turned in a remotely good performance with the worst one being Mario Van Peebles. The Jamaican accent he used for this movie was not convincing at all and it really gets grating the more you have to listen to it. The scenes with Jaws are nothing to write home about in this entry. In fact whenever a character died in this movie I felt nothing at all. I didn't feel any sympathy or shock because I didn't care about these characters. I didn't even feel a sense of satisfaction that some movies give when an annoying character dies. No, whenever a character died here I was just like "Oh, so that person just got killed by Jaws. Alright, that was something that just happened."

This was just a terrible movie and luckily it was the final nail in the coffin for this franchise. Other than a couple unintentionally funny moments and a half-decent performance from Michael Caine, there is no real reason for this movie to exist. As cheesy as Jaws 3-D was, at least that one can be enjoyed due to how cheesy it is.

August 19



"I come in peace."
"And you go in pieces, asshole."

I'm not really a fan of Dolph Lundgren, but when I heard about this movie I thought it looked interesting. Turns out it is as it's a really fun movie that really lives up to its premise. It's Dolph Lundgren's finest moment as far as leading roles go and it has a very good combination of action and sci-fi elements. It's a highly entertaining movie that I can easily recommend.

August 21



"Nika..."
"Yes?"
"Stop talking or I'll put you back in the trunk."

This movie is not without it's flaws, but it's pretty fun. Some of the dialogue is weak and the movie can be really stupid at times, but for the most part it suceeds in what it's trying to be. It delivers on everything you would expect from a Hitman movie and it is pretty faithful to the video games although a game as straightforward as Hitman is pretty hard to mess up. It's very mindless, but I wasn't expecting anything more from it.

August 21



"Tell me the difference between stupid and illegal and I'll have my wife's brother arrested."

Major props to this movie for tackling a subject that would be seen as boring by some people and present it in such an entertaining way. This was a very interesting look on the financial crisis of 2007-2008, but what really made this movie was the cast. Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling were all fantastic here and is one of those times where the cast is a big part of what makes this movie great. Also Adam McKay steps out of his comfort zone and directs what is a pretty serious movie although there are some humorous moments every now and then. I thought this movie would be overhyped going into it, but now I can say that it really is that good. It's a movie that's really worth watching even if you're not interested in this subject as chances are you'll still enjoy it.

August 22



"Welcome to Sneakin' In The Movies. My name is Speed and this is my homeboy Tyrone. And we are like movie critics and shit."
"Well not really. Peep this. Each week me and my boy, you know, we go to different theaters and stuff and sneak in and check out the movie."
"Then we come back and tell you all what's up. Like if you should pay money and shit."

This was a very funny movie, but apparently I'm one of the few people on the site who's seen this. It's a very well-done spoof/sketch movie and it's also a good satire on how African-American actors were casted back when this movie came out. What else can I say other than it's a really funny movie that you really should check out.

August 24



"You designed the software, you find me a way in."
"I wouldn't know where to start."

Firewall is the run-of-the-mill Harrison Ford thriller except lacking with what made movies like The Fugitive and Patriot Games work. That's not to say that this movie doesn't have it's moments and Harrison Ford is as good as you would expect here, but there isn't really anything that stands out here. It's a very predictable and forgettable movie that has a few things going for it, but for the most part it's the definition of generic.

August 25-26



"My name is Buro Houtenfaust. I was named for a Saint who was a very wealthy man. He had the wine, the women, the songs, the whole bit, and then inexplicably, took a vow of poverty and became a hermit. Ran off to live in the forest, in the nude."

This movie started off pretty solid, but after that it gets a bit muddled. The acting is good with Val Kilmer who really shows off his acting talent here and it does have an interesting scenario and it is a fun movie. What keeps it from being better though is that it does focus on quite a few genres and it feels like there's too much going on at times. So while I did enjoy this movie, I thought that it could've been better. Especially when it started off so strong.

August 26



"You know, invincibility lies in defense."
"Possibility of victory, in the attack."

I was on Netflix searching for a movie to watch when I came across this and decided to check it out. I really enjoyed this movie a lot. It was a really fun martial arts movie with a simple, but effective story, it has some great bits of dark humor and the fight scenes were really well-done. Michael Jai White is a great martial artist here and I really liked his character. The movie isn't quite perfect though since it kind of drags near the end and Michael Jai White is a little too unstoppable in this movie. There's not a whole lot that stops him here and I think they could've had something that made you think that he could actually lose. Other than that though it's a great movie and it's definitely a martial arts film worth checking out.

August 27



"Dad, there are whores here n'stuff."
"Don't say n'stuff. Just say, Dad, there are whores here."

Fuck, now I wish I got the chance to see this movie in theatres! Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe were both great together and this movie was just really funny. There were so many great lines that really made me laugh. It's also a really good mystery story that in a way feels like a sequel to Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and it's just as good as that movie if not better. There's this one thing about this that isn't even a problem with the movie itself. Near the third act of this movie I noticed that the trailers for this gave too much away. I normally don't remember the details that trailers give after watching them, but this time I happened to and while it isn't that big of a deal, it did kind of put me off a little bit. I blame the marketing of this movie. Anyways, I really had fun with this and not seeing this in theatres will be one of my biggest regrets.

August 28



This movie was on my radar ever since I saw a trailer for it on a DVD and now I decided to finally watch it. I really liked this one. The acting was solid from all three cast members, especially Mark Duplass and the writing and dialogue was so good that I didn't care about how predictable the story was. It's a very good independent film and I could see myself watching it again at least once.

August 29



"I'm not going to send you to Vietnam, Mr. Boyd. I'm going to send you the Fifteenth."
"Oh, that shit hole."
"You'll fit right in."

This started off as a terrible movie, but somehow got tolerable near the end. The first half had everything I hated about Steven Seagal and his movies and since this is also a comedy, his comedic timing was really off. The second half on the other hand was just this dumb action movie that was a little entertaining, but still pretty stupid. It does have some good things going for it like DMX who is pretty good as far as rappers-turned-actors go and there are a few funny lines which most of them are delivered by Anthony Anderson, but for the most part it's just a really dumb movie.

August 30

Re-watch

-



"You must be Igor."
"No, it's pronounced "eye-gor."
"But they told me it was "ee-gor."
"Well, they were wrong then, weren't they?"

I was so shocked when I heard about Gene Wilder's death. Even though I had a feeling that he didn't have much longer to live, it still took me by surprise. I had to watch one of his movies ever since I found out about his passing because I have been a fan of him for years. I decided not to go with one that I hadn't seen before as I was pretty sure that I've seen all the classics that he was in, so I just went with Young Frankenstein since I hadn't seen it since I first saw it 6 years ago.

Just as I suspected, I had underrated this movie. While I did find it funny back then and thought it was a good movie overall, I didn't find it as uproariously funny as I do now. This is one of the finest comedies ever made and is one of Mel Brooks greatest achievements next to Blazing Saddles. While I find the latter film to be better, I still think the jokes are well-thought out and I think this movie is even funnier now that I've actually seen the original Frankenstein. I also remembered this movie pretty well despite not having seen it for a long time as I knew and anticipated what was going to happen in most scenes. It's a fantastic movie that made the spoof film what it is today, for better or for worse.

R.I.P Gene Wilder. Your comedic legacy will live on forever.

August 31



"I saw Mrs. Claypool first. Of course, her mother really saw her first but there's no point in bringing the Civil War into this."

I haven't seen anything from the Marx Brothers in a while, so I decided to end the month with this. As much as I loved Duck Soup, I think this one is better. This movie was hilarious from start to finish and there's so many great quotable lines and hilarious scenes. Only one minor flaw I had with this is that the music scene did go on for a little too long, but it doesn't matter when this movie is just wall to wall hilarity. I loved the hell out of this movie and I'm amazed by how timeless these guys are.