The Imagineering Movie Discussion Thread

[PerGron]

I figured because a lot of us enjoy movies and talking about, ranking, etc. there may as well be a place to do it that doesn’t flood the competition hype threads where everyone else doesn’t really care. I’ll rank my end of month movies in here and discuss whatever comes out too, can be new or old. Feel free to use it!

For those that didn’t see, here’s what I watched in January ranked worst to best

24. Foe [Prime Video]
23. Land of Bad [Regal Mystery Movie]
22. The Windigo [VOD]
21. The Bricklayer [VOD]
20. Night Swim [In Theater]
19. Role Play [Prime Video]
18. Spring Lakes [VOD]
17. Destroy All Neighbors [Shudder]
16. BitConned [Netflix]
15. Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths pt 1 [VOD]
14. Beautiful Wedding [VOD]
13. Founders Day [Regal Mystery Movie]
12. Lift [Netflix]
11. The Underdoggs [Prime Video]
10. The Kitchen [Netflix]
9. The Book of Clarence [In Theaters]
8. The Seeding [VOD]
7. I.S.S. [In Theaters]
6. Self Reliance [Hulu]
5. Origin [Regal Mystery Movie]
4. The Beekeeper [In Theaters]
3. The Greatest Night in Pop [Netflix]
2. Society of the Snow [Netflix]
1. Horizon [Netflix]

 

[tcool123]

Some are these are older releases but still saw them in theaters this past month so Ima list them!

8. Book of Clarence
7. Origin
6. Mean Girls
5. Trolls: World Tour
4. All Of Us Strangers
3. Soul
2. Wizard of Oz
1. American Fiction

 

[PerGron]

I caught tonight’s Monday Mystery Movie at Regal which was Lisa Frankenstein.

I genuinely can’t grasp my feelings on this movie yet because on one hand, it was a blast and hilarious and wildly entertaining with the hardest PG-13 rating I’ve seen in a long while. Plus, I love Kathryn Newton so anytime she’s in a movie it gets a bump for me.

That said, every choice the characters make in this movie was frustrating, and not in a way that hurts the plot, it is the plot, but in a way that left me mad at pretty much everyone just from the way the story played out.

I’ve got tickets for a friend’s birthday on Friday to go catch it again (planned before I knew what the mystery movie was) so maybe I’ll solidify my thoughts by then, but if you’re looking for an insane Valentine’s date movie, my partner gives this one a “cautious thumbs up” while I just give a confused shrug of uncertainty

 

[Chaos Cat]

So I have Concerns(tm) about Disney's recent announcement.

 

[Lord Fozzinator]

Interesting

 

[AceAstro]

I caught tonight’s Monday Mystery Movie at Regal which was Lisa Frankenstein.

I genuinely can’t grasp my feelings on this movie yet because on one hand, it was a blast and hilarious and wildly entertaining with the hardest PG-13 rating I’ve seen in a long while. Plus, I love Kathryn Newton so anytime she’s in a movie it gets a bump for me.

That said, every choice the characters make in this movie was frustrating, and not in a way that hurts the plot, it is the plot, but in a way that left me mad at pretty much everyone just from the way the story played out.

I’ve got tickets for a friend’s birthday on Friday to go catch it again (planned before I knew what the mystery movie was) so maybe I’ll solidify my thoughts by then, but if you’re looking for an insane Valentine’s date movie, my partner gives this one a “cautious thumbs up” while I just give a confused shrug of uncertainty

I just saw it tonight and I’m obsessed with it. It’s definitely not going to be for everyone though. I went in with no expectations and just had a blast. It’s not a perfect movie but I had a ton of fun so I can’t wait to see it again (might go again next weekend)

 

[PerGron]

I just saw it tonight and I’m obsessed with it. It’s definitely not going to be for everyone though. I went in with no expectations and just had a blast. It’s not a perfect movie but I had a ton of fun so I can’t wait to see it again (might go again next weekend)

So upon a rewatch, I completely agree. I laughed just as hard the second time, all the beats absolutely fit and the tone is great. Easily going to become a cult classic.

I also double featured it with Out of Darkness which is a Paleolithic horror film and upon sleeping on that one, I really loved it too. That one is less for everyone than even Lisa lol, but it really worked for me. So far, February is blowing January out of the water

 

[tcool123]

Also saw Lisa Frankenstein last night! It was one of my most hyped movies going into this year, and it lived up to my expectations.

It never took itself too seriously, and I had a blast laughing along with my theater. The costuming and hair were just right and of course visually told a story for the sisters.

But can someone check on Kathryn? Her back must be hurt cause she carried that movie for me. While the rest of the cast was good she is what took this film to the next level, she was just having so much fun with the role and it shone through for me.

The film is chockfull of easter eggs and little details that add up to making it a celebration of the era and films that inspired it, and the attention to these details felt like it always added a little but more to the film’s world.

I had a lot of fun with it and I hope it does really well and gets the flowers it deserves, and while unlikely would love for Universal to bring this into HHN in some form or another given its all the company.

 

[PerGron]

I double featured Madame Web and Bob Marley: One Love tonight, and one of them was definitely way better than the other one

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

I had the chance to see Perfect Days on the big screen today, and it absolutely freaking floored me. What a year for Japanese cinema between this, Heron, and Godzilla Minus One. The premise of Perfect Days really doesn't sound like it would be compelling. It's literally about the day to day mundane life of a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. The meditative tone the movie has along with the infectious appreciation for life's simple pleasures really elevates it. It's very much a movie about looking on the bright side of life. We get just enough character development for the lead character to be among the most memorable of 2023 for me. It's truly a life-affirming experience that I can't reccommend enough. I don't really think describing it at all does it justice. It's the kind of movie you just need to let wash over you.

 

[Joesixtoe]

Re-watched Dune part 1 for preparation for part 2. What a great movie, better than I remembered. (MAX)

Sleepless in Seattle (on some streaming channel I have.)

The Chosen series in the theaters

 

[PerGron]

So on a whim I decided to go check out Stopmotion because I happened to see a showing locally. I don't want to say too much about it because I do think people should go see it, but I absolutely adored it!

 

[PerGron]

It's that time of the month! I've officially seen all of the February releases I'm going to end up catching for the month and so that means its time to rank them! I will be going through all 24 new releases that I caught and ranking them worst to best.

Keep in mind, these are not all the movies that dropped this month, just the ones I caught. I think I've seen all the really notable ones besides Ordinary Angels. Also, these rankings are subject to change by the end of the year and are also not ranked against my January movies that I saw.

With that said, let's do it!

#24- This is Me... Now

[Watched on PrimeVideo]

I'll be honest, calling this a movie is probably being overly-generous. This was an hour long Jennifer Lopez album film that was all about getting back with Ben Affleck and it was an absolute waste of time. I watched it because I'm going for a full 365 this year (I guess 366 cuz leap year) but otherwise there is zero reason unless you're a big JLO fan. I am not, so this was a huge miss for me.


#23- Madame Web

[Watched in theaters]

Every bit as bad as it's being made out to be. Nobody in this movie wanted to be in it, the whole thing is ADR'd to hell, and the story just plain sucks. Absolutely not worth the watch and I think it's time for Sony to just give up on this live action universe and stick to the Spider-Verse animated franchise.


#22- Mea Culpa

[Watched on Netflix]

I expected nothing from this Tyler Perry directed "steamy legal drama" and still I was in for a ride with a completely unlikeable lead, a story I did not care at all about, and a completely boring rest of the film. Even if you're a Tyler Perry fan, I can't see any reason to watch this. Plus, Trevante Rhodes really needs to fire his agent.


#21- Somewhere Quiet

[Watched on VOD]

It's been a rough year in general, but especially for horror. Somewhere Quiet looks like it's going to be some sort of supernatural horror that would maybe at least be a little fun, but instead it's about a gaslighting husband and his very creepy relation with his cousin. It's a gross and weird movie without any actual horror element and is not worth a watch.


#20- Lover, Stalker, Killer

[Watched on Netflix]

I already don't really like true crime, I find it weird and predatory, but this began a trend that lasted the whole month of stories that just didn't at all need a documentary about it. The twist that happens is so heavily foreshadowed by the TITLE OF THE DOC that it doesn't even make for engaging true crime.


#19- Operation Arctic Cure

[Watched on Disney+]

Another story that just didn't at all need a documentary about it, even a short one like this. It follows some veterans with PTSD and other issues taking a therapy trip to the arctic and while some of the shots of Aurora Borealis are super cool, the whole thing felt invasive to these peoples' struggles and I didn't enjoy watching it.


#18- The Tiger's Apprentice

[Watched on Paramount+]

Animation might rival horror for how rough it has been. This was a super boring and surface level animated movie with some interesting enough ideas, but so concerned with keeping the attention of the audience with action that we learned next to nothing about the characters, the world, or why we should care at all.


#17- History of Evil

[Watched on Shudder]

This one was ALMOST interesting, it had an interesting setup with a dystopian setting, a political message, and a haunted house and I think that would've made for a neat movie. Unfortunately, it ended up being a really generic haunted house movie that thought it could nail the same concept as The Shining and it didn't really work.


#16- Players

[Watched on Netflix]

This was a really by the books Netflix rom-com that worked fine for what it was, but that's because you don't really expect quality in those. The cast here was fun though and I actually really enjoyed the first 15 or so minutes where it felt a lot like an episode of New Girl (maybe it's just because Coach was in it though...) but the rest was just kind of meh and forgettable.


#15- Bosco

[Watched on Peacock]

Elements of this movie were interesting, particularly the in-prison segments, but I didn't really like any of the characters, I didn't care about the escape, and the only elements I really cared for were the very sparse moments of commentary on the US prison system. Otherwise, I don't think this one really needs to be watched.​

 

[PerGron]

#14- Sacred Soil: The Piney Woods School Story

[Watched on Hulu]

Yet another doc that didn't really need to be a doc. This school is the first ever all-black boarding school, so there's clearly some history there, but the doc barely touches on any of that and instead focuses on the day-to-day lives of the students, which I didn't care about or find all that engaging.


#13- Calamity Jane

[Watched on VOD]

I think we as a society have moved beyond whatever westerns can offer us. Sure, the style is cool in stuff like the first season of The Mandalorian, and I'd still love a Red Dead Redemption series on HBO, but Calamity Jane ain't it. This is a really generic by-the-books western that doesn't do anything interesting or unique and is kind of just not worth watching.


#12- Einstein and the Bomb

[Watched on Netflix]

They couldn't have chosen a more misleading name for this acted-through documentary if they tried. There is barely anything about Einstein's reaction to the nuclear bombs or their effect and is more about his escape from Germany. The acting isn't very good either and the documentary format bogs down any of the interesting character stuff you could've let the actors do. It's my #12 but we're still not into anything I'd recommend.


#11- They Called Him Mostly Harmless

[Watched on MAX]

Another doc that didn't need to exist, except this true crime story isn't even about the crime. Sure, the investigation is what starts the reason for the doc, but it quickly devolves into being about two random Facebook group moderators who are way too into this case. I did have fun with the insanity of pretending Facebook mods are important, but it's still not one I'd recommend.


#10- Argylle

[Watched in theaters]

This may be my #10 of the month, but by no means do I actually recommend watching it. Matthew Vaughn has burned me now one too many times for me to ever be excited about a project of his again. This movie was nonsensical, hard to follow, and filled with really bad plot, characters, and CGI. I was really looking forward to this one too, so it was disappointing.


#9- Upgraded

[Watched on Prime Video]

This is another one of those random generic rom-coms put out direct to streaming, but in this one, at least the chemistry between the cast was alright. I liked Camila Mendes here a lot, and I also loved Marisa Tomei doing her best Edna Mode impression, that was fun. Of the traditional rom-coms this month, this was the most passable. Not great, but the first movie I'd maybe recommend to some people.


#8-Drive-Away Dolls

[Watched in theaters]

Another disappointing movie, I was so hyped when I caught the trailer last year, and being pushed back to this year making me wait built my excitement. I love the Coen Brothers and seeing Ethan Coen do his own movie with the star-studded lineup this movie has, I was excited. It wasn't bad, I did have some fun with it, but it didn't live up to what I really wanted and it's one of those I wouldn't recommend to most people.


#7-Snoopy Presents: Welcome Back Franklin

[Watched on AppleTV+]

My friend and I agreed we could count this towards our end of year count, so here it is. While it's only like 40 minutes, so aren't the other classic Peanuts movies, so it's a movie by our standards. Anyway, this one was cute and charming and I love the animation that the Snoopy Presents series has given us. It's nothing special for non-Peanuts fans, but if you like The Peanuts, I'd say check it out.


#6- Orion and the Dark

[Watched on Netflix]

There were elements here that I really dug, including the ending of it which I absolutely adored. The animation really worked for me and the story up to the end was cute and charming enough. It's not the best thing Dreamworks has ever put out, but it's pretty inoffensive and cute and my niece and nephew I was babysitting loved it, so there's that.​

 

[PerGron]

#5- Bob Marley: One Love

[Watched in theaters]

I'm kind of tired of these musical biopics that we've gotten flooded with since Bohemian Rhapsody, but still, I really do like Bob Marley and his music and I found this story pretty interesting. It's a by-the-numbers biopic so don't expect anything crazy out of it, but I had fun regardless, and it had some killer music of course.


#4- Out of Darkness

[Watched in theaters]

I was wondering why it took two whole years for some distributor to pick this one up, but upon seeing it, I figured it out pretty quickly. Still, this movie, despite its faults, gave me some really tense moments and a really cool reveal at the end that I actually had predicted going in but didn't expect to actually come true. This is not a movie for everyone, but it was very much for me.


#3- Suncoast

[Watched on Hulu]

I love a good coming-of-age movie akin to Edge of Seventeen, and while I wouldn't go that far with Suncoast, it was still a sweet and heartfelt movie with some dark and sad things to say but totally worked for me. Nico Parker is great here like she was in The Last of Us and I'm excited to see her as Astrid in HTTYD next year.


#2- Stopmotion

[Watched in theaters]

This was the first horror of the year to really get me excited. The movie is dark and eerie and disgusting and mean-spirited in all the best ways. The use of stop motion animation in it was brilliant and everything about this movie worked for me. It won't be for everyone, but if you're a more artistic horror fan, I cannot recommend this one enough.


#1- Lisa Frankenstein

[Watched in theaters]

Of all the new releases I saw this month, Lisa Frankenstein is the one that has stuck with me the most by far. I didn't know how to feel initially, but upon a rewatch, constant conversations with my partner (she said it's her favorite "horror" movie ever) and just thinking on it, the more I loved this movie. This is my easiest recommendation of the year!


With that, tomorrow I catch Dune Part 2 and kick off what looks to be a much better month in film!​

 

[Pi on my Cake]

This thread really makes me realize how much I want to get my AMC Stubs membership back and watch more movies again lol

It's not a film, but I finally got around to watching the Bear and it definitely lived up to the hype

 

[PerGron]

This thread really makes me realize how much I want to get my AMC Stubs membership back and watch more movies again lol

It's not a film, but I finally got around to watching the Bear and it definitely lived up to the hype

The Bear is a genuine masterpiece and I'm so excited we're getting season 3 this summer!

 

[Pi on my Cake]

The Bear is a genuine masterpiece and I'm so excited we're getting season 3 this summer!

One of the best things I've seen in a while! Though I can't help but be slightly distracted by looking at the main guy and thinking he looks like the middle stage Pokemon evolution between Chalemet Wonka and Wilder Wonka

 

[PerGron]

Dune Part 2…

Wow

 

[TheOriginalTiki]

Dune Part 2…

Wow

It's in the top ten films I've ever seen in my life hands down.

Any chance we could do a SpoilerCast tomorrow or Sunday night?