mega thread Last Movie You Watched?

[Dreambiscuit 11,989]

Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning (2025) I liked this more than expected but that’s despite its poor writing and direction, which doesn’t bode well in a movie of this scale and budget. So when it had anything at all to offer I was pleasantly surprised. Chris McQuarrie is a hack, let’s get that out of the way right now; he has no acumen for writing (and especially directing). The plot is absurd and bloated, like his ego, and glosses over many important facts when he can't make the plot work. The whole concept of an all-powerful ‘Entity’ comprised of out of control AI is so abstract as to its abilities, motives and actual form that it isn’t even compelling as an antagonist. It’s just a vague idea with no clear explanation or reason. If you look at the WOPR computer from WarGames, or the Master Control Program from Tron, you get a programmed nemesis that’s realistic in its limitations yet powerful enough to present an actual threat. Both can learn, become more efficient and deadly, but in a way that’s clear and understandable by the audience. This realism creates genuine tension because the threat is less static and in a far more interesting.

The one glimmer of hope for this ‘Entity’ and all its far-reaching capabilities, was the possibility of undoing a grievous mistake of the first Mission Impossible movie, which was making Jim Phelps the badguy. This outrageous and unforgivable contention could have been shown as a distortion of the truth caused by the Entity, and was briefly broached, but again the writer failed to follow through with a correction that would have doubled the value of this movie. I demand more, considering the budget, running time and creative freedom involved.

The fact that this overlong mess is a continuation of the previous overlong mess says something more about the lack of talent involved. But I guess being buddies with Tom Cruise has its perks to the degree that talent is an afterthought. Mission Impossible movies are best when they tell a standalone story with each movie, rather than falling into the Marvel movie template of dragging every storyline out over multiple films because it’s more convenient and requires less originality. But let’s put all that aside and keep expectations to a minimum for our $20 admission price. The action is good, when it gets around to happening, Tom Cruise still has plenty of star power, and overall there were enough positive aspects to bring this movie up to a passing grade. 7.5/10

Superman (2025) I can see why many people seemed to either love or hate this movie. As for myself, I loved some aspects and hated others. SPOILERS AHEAD.

The pros: Decent casting for Superman; he looked the part and mostly acted it. He did seem wholesome, befitting his character, but if they’re going to have him conspicuously avoiding profanity in some scenes but not all, that’s a bit incongruous.

Krypto the Superdog was surprisingly good. I thought he brought some humor to the movie. The movie had a more or less light touch, at least compared to previous outings of the Man of Steel.

Superman’s costume was a step in the right direction compared to previous movies which tried to change it. This one was more faithful to the original comic book versions, with minor modifications.

The cameo appearance of Supergirl was a fun touch, and she was made into a bratty party girl, which at least was original if not accurate. And her costume was also on track, albeit diluted with an all-concealing overcoat. Lame.

The cons: Pretty obvious; every fan on earth wants to hear John Williams’ immortal themes, so it serves nothing and no one to take three notes of the classic music and distort them until they’re no longer identifiable, with no other detectable presence in the movie. The resulting score was bland, desperate and didn’t fit the action.

The plot was too convoluted. It’s better to have a simple story told well than a complex story told poorly. As usual, too many peripheral heroes and villains spoiled the fun. This movie should be about Superman vs. Lex Luthor, with no additives or preservatives. In Superman the Movie (1978) the story was clear, coherent and easy to follow, with plenty of humor, drama and fun, and it built momentum steadily to the finale. The direction was deft, confident and perfect. This new movie was all over the place and after a while I just stopped trying to follow it and rolled with the action and scenery.

Some arbitrary stupidity was added to the story and mystifies me. Okay, so moving the Fortress of Solitude to Antarctica? Why?

Making Superman’s biological parents’ motives questionable at best is just plain stupid and sure to piss off all the fans of the Superman mythos.

Clark Kent’s earth parents were obliviously portrayed as southern rednecks rather than Midwestern hicks.

And I dislike super heroes’ modern tendency toward disclosing their secret identity to pretty much anyone who wants to know; it takes away the mystery and much of the fun.

Much of the established lore of Superman was dismissed, altered or overlooked out of ignorance. As a result, the movie’s pros could not outweigh its cons, so I give it a 6/10

Superman 4 (1987) This was an interesting experiment. I wanted to watch what was long considered to be a very bad Superman movie and compare it directly to the new Superman with all its high budget and relentless promotion. Superman 4 was campy, poorly directed and relegated to the infamous Golan-Globus team of movie destroyers who came up with a pretty lackluster film. But on the other hand, it did have the original cast and made full use of John Williams’ classic themes which would have doubled the new Superman’s box office on that point alone. Superman 4 actually gave purists more of what they wanted than the new movie did, but did so in such a badly mismanaged way that it failed despite this fact. Audiences back in the day held it to higher standards considering its classic lineage, where modern audiences seem notoriously easy to please. So my bare-bones conclusion is that fancy special effects with a poorly told story apparently goes farther than a slightly better story and poor special effects. 6.5/10

F1 (2025) This was a big surprise for me. I saw the trailers for this and thought it looked pretty boring and unoriginal, but what I got was a fun, compelling and rewarding movie experience from end to end. There’s only so much that can be done with a racing movie that hasn’t been done before, but this one somehow managed to keep me guessing and glued to my seat through all the races. There’s a lot of action, good characters and no arbitrary irritations. So far this may be the best of the big summer releases for me. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. 8/10

All my early expectations of this summer’s movies (which ones would be good, and which ones would suck) have been completely and uniformly reversed. Interesting. 

[TheRockARockster 54,975]

5 minutes ago, Dreambiscuit said:

Mission Impossible: Final Reckoning (2025) I liked this more than expected but that’s despite its poor writing and direction, which doesn’t bode well in a movie of this scale and budget. So when it had anything at all to offer I was pleasantly surprised. Chris McQuarrie is a hack, let’s get that out of the way right now; he has no acumen for writing (and especially directing). The plot is absurd and bloated, like his ego, and glosses over many important facts when he can't make the plot work. The whole concept of an all-powerful ‘Entity’ comprised of out of control AI is so abstract as to its abilities, motives and actual form that it isn’t even compelling as an antagonist. It’s just a vague idea with no clear explanation or reason. If you look at the WOPR computer from WarGames, or the Master Control Program from Tron, you get a programmed nemesis that’s realistic in its limitations yet powerful enough to present an actual threat. Both can learn, become more efficient and deadly, but in a way that’s clear and understandable by the audience. This realism creates genuine tension because the threat is less static and in a far more interesting.

The one glimmer of hope for this ‘Entity’ and all its far-reaching capabilities, was the possibility of undoing a grievous mistake of the first Mission Impossible movie, which was making Jim Phelps the badguy. This outrageous and unforgivable contention could have been shown as a distortion of the truth caused by the Entity, and was briefly broached, but again the writer failed to follow through with a correction that would have doubled the value of this movie. I demand more, considering the budget, running time and creative freedom involved.

The fact that this overlong mess is a continuation of the previous overlong mess says something more about the lack of talent involved. But I guess being buddies with Tom Cruise has its perks to the degree that talent is an afterthought. Mission Impossible movies are best when they tell a standalone story with each movie, rather than falling into the Marvel movie template of dragging every storyline out over multiple films because it’s more convenient and requires less originality. But let’s put all that aside and keep expectations to a minimum for our $20 admission price. The action is good, when it gets around to happening, Tom Cruise still has plenty of star power, and overall there were enough positive aspects to bring this movie up to a passing grade. 7.5/10

Superman (2025) I can see why many people seemed to either love or hate this movie. As for myself, I loved some aspects and hated others. SPOILERS AHEAD.

The pros: Decent casting for Superman; he looked the part and mostly acted it. He did seem wholesome, befitting his character, but if they’re going to have him conspicuously avoiding profanity in some scenes but not all, that’s a bit incongruous.

Krypto the Superdog was surprisingly good. I thought he brought some humor to the movie. The movie had a more or less light touch, at least compared to previous outings of the Man of Steel.

Superman’s costume was a step in the right direction compared to previous movies which tried to change it. This one was more faithful to the original comic book versions, with minor modifications.

The cameo appearance of Supergirl was a fun touch, and she was made into a bratty party girl, which at least was original if not accurate. And her costume was also on track, albeit diluted with an all-concealing overcoat. Lame.

The cons: Pretty obvious; every fan on earth wants to hear John Williams’ immortal themes, so it serves nothing and no one to take three notes of the classic music and distort them until they’re no longer identifiable, with no other detectable presence in the movie. The resulting score was bland, desperate and didn’t fit the action.

The plot was too convoluted. It’s better to have a simple story told well than a complex story told poorly. As usual, too many peripheral heroes and villains spoiled the fun. This movie should be about Superman vs. Lex Luthor, with no additives or preservatives. In Superman the Movie (1978) the story was clear, coherent and easy to follow, with plenty of humor, drama and fun, and it built momentum steadily to the finale. The direction was deft, confident and perfect. This new movie was all over the place and after a while I just stopped trying to follow it and rolled with the action and scenery.

Some arbitrary stupidity was added to the story and mystifies me. Okay, so moving the Fortress of Solitude to Antarctica? Why?

Making Superman’s biological parents’ motives questionable at best is just plain stupid and sure to piss off all the fans of the Superman mythos.

Clark Kent’s earth parents were obliviously portrayed as southern rednecks rather than Midwestern hicks.

And I dislike super heroes’ modern tendency toward disclosing their secret identity to pretty much anyone who wants to know; it takes away the mystery and much of the fun.

Much of the established lore of Superman was dismissed, altered or overlooked out of ignorance. As a result, the movie’s pros could not outweigh its cons, so I give it a 6/10

Superman 4 (1987) This was an interesting experiment. I wanted to watch what was long considered to be a very bad Superman movie and compare it directly to the new Superman with all its high budget and relentless promotion. Superman 4 was campy, poorly directed and relegated to the infamous Golan-Globus team of movie destroyers who came up with a pretty lackluster film. But on the other hand, it did have the original cast and made full use of John Williams’ classic themes which would have doubled the new Superman’s box office on that point alone. Superman 4 actually gave purists more of what they wanted than the new movie did, but did so in such a badly mismanaged way that it failed despite this fact. Audiences back in the day held it to higher standards considering its classic lineage, where modern audiences seem notoriously easy to please. So my bare-bones conclusion is that fancy special effects with a poorly told story apparently goes farther than a slightly better story and poor special effects. 6.5/10

F1 (2025) This was a big surprise for me. I saw the trailers for this and thought it looked pretty boring and unoriginal, but what I got was a fun, compelling and rewarding movie experience from end to end. There’s only so much that can be done with a racing movie that hasn’t been done before, but this one somehow managed to keep me guessing and glued to my seat through all the races. There’s a lot of action, good characters and no arbitrary irritations. So far this may be the best of the big summer releases for me. I was pleasantly surprised by this one. 8/10

All my early expectations of this summer’s movies (which ones would be good, and which ones would suck) have been completely and uniformly reversed. Interesting. 

MISS TESSMACHERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[ZiggWheelsManning 14,917]

It's still Shin Godzilla (2016).  Have Dreamy and Rocky seen that one yet?  

[Dreambiscuit 11,989]

4 hours ago, ZiggWheelsManning said:

It's still Shin Godzilla (2016).  Have Dreamy and Rocky seen that one yet?  

Nope, Zigg, I haven't. To be honest it wasn't even on my radar, but it looks good so now I've got to add it to my short list. 

My latest batch:

The Unforgiven (1960) Not to be confused with Clint Eastwood’s ‘Unforgiven’ (1992), this western is a classic, starring Audrey Hepburn and Burt Lancaster. It centers on an Indian girl (Hepburn) who was adopted by white settlers, and a subsequent battle against a one-eyed antagonist from the past and Indians from the girls’ tribe. The supporting cast is sublime and the direction is strong, with beautiful scenery throughout. 8/10 

She’s All That (1999) If you’ve seen one high school romantic drama you’ve seen ‘em all, and this is no exception. Popular guy loses popular girl, courts loser girl just to prove he can make her cool too, his motives are discovered, they fight, make up and the credits roll. The same peripheral characters are all there; best friend, cool clique for both the boys and the girls, loser girl’s nerdy supportive friend, etc. The sequel ‘He’s All That’ (2021) is actually much better if not terribly original on its own. 6.5/10

[Snoopy Fan 11,453]

Night at the Museum (2006)

[Fluttershutter 3,259]

The last One Piece movie.

[Sparklefan1234 184,074]

I'm not sure if it was a mini movie or a direct-to-streaming special. @Dreambiscuit YAY! RAPUNZEL!  

Lego Disney Princess: Villains Unite (2025) 10/10 

Edited August 27 by Sparklefan1234

[Snoopy Fan 11,453]

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)

[Snoopy Fan 11,453]

The Proud Family Movie (2005)

[Dreambiscuit 11,989]

Monuments Men (2014) Not a bad movie, about a group of soldiers sent to recover works of art plundered by the Nazis during WW2. Based on a true story it represents a great sacrifice made for something intangible, but no less important, of the human experience. No work of art is worth a human life, but saving art is necessary or some of humanity’s greatest accomplishments will be lost from life. It’s a fine line that makes you think. One could get all philosophical but I’ll spare you that. Rather, I’ll simply say this is a decent movie worth watching, so do so and draw your own conclusions. 7/10

American Graffiti (1973) George Lucas’ first ‘mainstream’ outing after THX-1138 and a sign of better things to come. It made a huge profit (cost $750k and grossed 121 million) and yet George was still up against the Hollywood system making Star Wars immediately after. But we all know how that story turned out. Graffiti is a beautiful movie, well-directed, well-written, coherent and entertaining from end to end. This was an important turning point in George’s career; when he saw the value of a lighter touch and accessibility over the abstract experimental filmmaking he so dearly loved (and still does). This movie stands up well alongside his many great accomplishments. 9.5/10

Unbreakable (2000) A pretty nifty and original movie my M. Night Shyamalan about an everyday ‘superhero’ and the super villain who discovered him. This is what most superhero movies lack; the realistic way that heroes and villains can come from ordinary walks of life but become something more than even they could imagine. The story rings true and the characters are compelling. This is from Shyamalan’s earlier career when he was at his best. 8/10

[ExplosionMare 25,788]

The last movie I watched was Elemental. It was a pretty cute movie!

[ComanderZhabikKlavik 5,135]

The Beekeeper (2024).

I'm rewatching movies that I've watched before because I can't find movies that are as good.

[ComanderZhabikKlavik 5,135]

Crank (2006). I liked the movie, but I liked The Beekeeper (2024) more.

Description of the movie from the IMDb website?:

Poisoned by the potent and deadly mix of synthetic drugs called "The Beijing Cocktail" for getting in the way of the Triads, the tough-as-nails British hitman living in Los Angeles, Chev Chelios, wakes up with a terrible headache. With less than an hour to live, Chev will have to use all the help he can get from his doctor, and use every trick in the book, to consistently keep his heart rate up so that the adrenaline in his bloodstream staves off the effects of the deadly toxin. Now, his heart is pounding faster than any other human being, and as Chelios darts across the city's streets in search of an antidote and the arrogant criminal, Ricky Verona, to exact his revenge, he finds himself compelled to pick fights with no-nonsense drug dealers, murderous assassins, and an army of thugs. But, can Chelios stay alive long enough to protect those he loves, and make it through the day?

 

Some people say live every day like it's your last, after watching this movie I understood this quote 

 But I definitely can't live every day like the main character in this movie

 

[ComanderZhabikKlavik 5,135]

The Equalizer.

I like both the hero and the villain in this movie. They are both amazing!

villain

Spoiler

hero

Spoiler

 

 

Spoiler

 

Edited September 5 by ComanderZhabikKlavik

[Fluttershutter 3,259]

I saw this movie Weapons.

I thought it would be more of a mystery/thriller, and it was a mystery at the beginning, but it was really a horror movie. And it got kind of funny at the end. I enjoyed it.

[Snoopy Fan 11,453]

Doug’s 1st Movie (1991)

I wonder if the movie had been different if it was from Nickelodeon instead of Disney

[ExplosionMare 25,788]

The Little Mermaid II

[Snoopy Fan 11,453]

The Super Mario Bros Movie (2023)

[ExplosionMare 25,788]

Inside Out 2 (I'm actually still watching it right now)

[Snoopy Fan 11,453]

The Fairly OddParents: Wishology (2009)

[ExplosionMare 25,788]

Belle's Magical World

[Snoopy Fan 11,453]

Sonic the Hedgehog The Movie (1996)

[Starlighty 1,070]

I just watched Escape Room and it was actually pretty good... They have a second one but I gotta find a way watch it without spending money lol 

[Night Sky 1,118]

Sword of Desperation 

Moody and middle-aged this film might be, but it is a masterfully crafted tale nontheless;

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606761/

 

[Snoopy Fan 11,453]

Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling (2019)