Kung Fu Panda 4...not as entertaining as the first 3, but decent enough. Why they didn't have the Furious Five at all was a little off putting, but Awkwafina did an adequate job of filling in. Black is always good as Po.

Old Henry Roku Channel
Tim Blake Nelson. Directed by Potsy Ponciroli. 2021
A farmer takes in an injured man with a satchel of cash. When a posse comes for the money, he must decide who to trust. Defending a siege, he reveals a gunslinging talent calling his true identity into question.

This was a "Budget Western" from Shout! Studios and while at times it looks it, it's still an entertaining film for fans of the genre. When Tim Blake Nelson was cast, he spent several months preparing for the role and contributing to the screenplay; he comes across as absolutely authentic and anytime Nelson or Stephen Dorff (as the lead Heavy) is on screen they elevate the film.

As a rule, I don't mind ads as a trade-off, but the ad breaks on The Roku Channel are poorly chosen.

I lucked out and saw Old Henry on Showtime with no ad breaks

I think Roku adds 20 minutes to a movie with all those commercials.

"Top baseball pitcher Bingo Long (Billy Dee Williams) is fed up with how his Negro League team owner treats him, so he forms his own lineup, recruiting big-hitting Leon Carter (James Earl Jones) and Charlie Snow (Richard Pryor), who dreams of playing in the majors."

I knew about this but maybe the first time I saw it

I wished it had more scenes with Richard Pryor.

HDNET Movies

1984

It is really dated now

"A young man buys a state-of-the-art computer that develops thoughts and emotions, and begins to turn its affections toward the man's attractive female neighbor."

Nice to hear "I Can Not Believe it is True" by Phil Collins and some other songs but this movie is mostly forgettable and looking at a young Virginia Madson is the only exciting thing in the movie.

Starz

2013

'Released from prison, a man (Dermot Mulroney) returns home to an unsatisfied wife (Natasha Lyonne). He moves to Oregon to help his brother on a ranch, where he meets a mad scientist and a con artist."

At first I thought this was a crime drama but it is really a horror movie but I still have no clue what was the meaning of it or can explain the lead character and what his intentions are.

Peacock

2017

"A young man living a sheltered life develops a crush on a stripper, and joins her Alcoholics Anonymous group just so he can be in the same room with her."

Directed by William H Macy

A good cast with maybe the exception of Nick Robinson but a so so film

Disney +

The goat is the only character I liked in this boring and forgettable movie

A huge U2 fan and this was good though maybe wished they did not cut off the music with interviews or there is separate film to just watch the concert.

HBO Max

I admire the artistry but it is a slow movie

2016

"Armed with a shotgun and one bullet, a war veteran (Thomas Jane) tries to protect a young murder witness from a ruthless assassin (Laurence Fishburne)."

Starz

Fishbourne was chewing the scenery

Road House (2024)

Director Doug Liman has made quite a few films that I've enjoyed over the years. His remake of the 1989 films isn't one of them.

Enjoyed Jake Gyllenhaal's performance but surrounding him felt forgettable.

Imaginary (2024)

I enjoyed Five Nights at Freddy's (2023) a bit more than this film.

That doesn't bode well for the quality of Blumhouse's output as of late.

Production Design was solid but I didn't much for anything else.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

Definitely made me long for the days when Director Adam Wingard was making smaller but more interesting films.

Saltburn (2023)

Director/Writer Emerald Fennell absolutely had my eyes glued to the screen until the final act.

With that said, the cast is fantastic as is Linus Sandgren's cinematography.

The Dark Knight (2008)

Try as I may, I've never grown tired of this film.

Thanks to Regal, I was able to see it again in theaters

I.S.S. Decal DVD
Ariana DeBose. Directed by Regina Cowperthwaite. 2023
When a world war event occurs on Earth, America and Russia, both nations secretly contact their astronauts aboard the ISS and give them instructions to take control of the station by any means necessary.

An excellent Independent SF film. I wish the DVD had included some kind of "Behind the Scenes" material, just to give some insight into the production. The filmmakers certainly pulled off some minor visual miracles on what appears to be a low budget; it's all very convincing. I've heard some complaints that the ending is too ambiguous for some, -too "Independent Film", if you will, -but I found it very much in line with SF films of the later '60s and early '70s.

Paint Your Wagon Kino Blu-Ray
Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood. Directed by Joshua Logan. 1969
A rascally old prospector and his youthful partner share a gold claim and a wife as they establish a prosperous brothel in a California boom town.

I knew “Paint Your Wagon” by reputation, but I’d never sat down and actually watched it until this new Kino edition. I’ve always thought of the film as a rather infamous Musical flop from the Mid-Sixties, starring three actors, -Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, and Jean Seberg, -who were not known for their singing abilities.Kino gives an excellent presentation of “Paint Your Wagon” with a new scan that makes this colorful and beautifully shot film really shine. Director Joshua Logan seems set on filling each frame with as many characters and props as he can fit in, and it’s really something to see.

Kino also provides an essential commentary track that cleared up many of my misconceptions about the film. First and foremost, I learned that “Paint Your Wagon” was actually successful at the box office, but it just cost too much to make a profit.

Lee Marvin, hot off his Oscar-winning role in the “Cat Ballou”, gives another broad Comic performance here, and he really dominates the film, rendering Clint Eastwood and Jean Seberg a little dull by comparison. While it is a Musical with many perfectly fine songs, the only bravura number is Harve Presnell’s performance of “They Call the Wind ‘Maria’”. Clint Eastwood's gentle singing voice is a bit amusing because of his intense screen reputation.

Firebrand screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky (“Network”) was hired to adapt the screenplay but wanted his name removed when the production made too many changes to his work. However, a few of his signature rants survive, and are expertly delivered by Lee Marvin. Unfortunately, the story as a whole has a ramshackle, shaggy-dog quality and it’s just too slight for the film’s massive running time.

MGM+

I know a lot of people like this but I think it sucks.

Wyatt Earp was better.

It is no Man with No Name trilogy or Young Guns 2 in my canon of favorite Westerns.

I know Kurt Russell might be a likeable guy and comforting presence on screen but he is not a very good actor.

This post may have been better suited for the Unpopular Movie Opinion thread ...

Bob Marley: One Love (2023) - Paramount+

I was hoping this was an edited version of One Plus One but unfortunately it had the same political BS that ruined most of Godard's movies. I made a fan edit of this that cut out everything bit the Stones. It's long gone. If anyone has such thing I'd like a PM.

Civil War
Kirsten Dunst. Directed by Alex Garland. 2024
A journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they race against time to reach DC before rebel factions descend upon the White House.

A very mixed bag. Alex Garland says his intent was not to be directly political or take a side, and for the most part he achieves that. However, the story he delivers is so vague on the details that it gets in the way of entirely buying the story. The President of the (remaining) United States is characterized (in conversation) as being the equal of several past immoral dictators (no party is mentioned), and armed forces of the opposing side are painted as remorseless killers. There's a lot of military action in the Third Act and it's just hard to care about a lot of what's going on.

Essentially, Garland's focus is on the Mentor/Apprentice story between two War correspondents, battle-hardened veteran reporter Kirsten Dunst and naive rookie photographer Cailee Spaeny. Its well-played but a bit familiar, following the story beats of earlier films like "Under Fire" (with Nick Nolte and Gene Hackman) or Oliver Stone's "Salvador". There was an exchange in the First Act of the film between Dunst and Spaeny that told me exactly how the movie had to end, -it's good well-rounded storytelling, but predictable none the less. The film does create a great deal of tension, but it also comes with a great deal of frustration. Funny enough, I didn't want a story that played to my politics, or preached to anyone else's choir either, -I wouldn't have seen the film if it had, -but Garland's approach sort of damns everybody, and makes it a tough watch. I suppose it should be, if I'm being honest.