poprock wrote:

Mortal Engines
A new contender for ‘worst movie I’ve ever seen’, potentially knocking GI Joe off the top spot. How did this mess happen? Felt like a rejected low budget kids BBC sci-fi show. I know it cost $100m, so where did that all go?

ShabbyMcCrabby wrote:

1. Teen Titans Go! To The Movies
Very silly but very smart. Worth it for the time travel bit. 
[8]

2. Bird Box
Averagely made sci fi lifted by the interesting concept. 
[5]

3. War of the Worlds
One I keep returning to. Exceptional setpieces that are still effective. 
[9]

4. The Favourite
An actual comedy at the cinema. Was funny, well acted and unnerving at times. Best of his for me. Yet to see Dogtooth 
[8]

Aquaman
Maybe one day DC will learn how to make a movie. A mess for so many reasons. 
[3] because people riding sharks.

Geostorm
Very low expectations and wasn't giving it my full attention. Was okay. No 2012 or Day After Tomorrow though. 
[4]

ROMA
Classically Cuarony shot film. Beautiful to look at and a well told little story. Felt very Gabriel Garcia Marquez. 
[9]

Ghost Stories
Black Mirror as a movie. Ham fisted horror moments. Somewhat interesting overall. 
[5]

Fyre
Solid doc about that festival that didn't happen. Helps the fuckwads filmed themselves fucking everything up. 
[8]

The Predator
A real fuckin mess. I wonder if these fuckwads documented themselves fucking this up. Nice violence though. 
[2]

Venom
Nothing special but not terrible. Pre-spiderman 2 style superhero deal. Hardy and Venom make a good pair. 
[5]

The Fountain
For the millionth time. Maybe didn't enjoy it as much as previous times but is still great. Beautiful movie. Blu ray transfer was garbage and grainy though 
[8]

Alita
Stunning visuals, iffy writing and acting. Average but fun at times. 
[5]

Nocturnal Animals
A type of movie that has been done better by better directors. Always seemed like it thought it was fancier than it actually was.
[4]

Fast and Furious 8
Proper guff. But fun guff. Always funny to think of the simplicity of the first movie when watching these.
[6]

Captain Marvel
Second tier Marvel that suffers from some clunky editing and not so great action direction. Still fun though and some funny moments with a good message.
[7]

Colossal
Should have been a good movie but wasn't. Obviously didn't know what it wanted to be about.
[2]

Destroyer
Okay little thriller. Not as good as the Invitation.
[6]

US
Neat idea. Average execution.
[5]

Ralph Wrecks The Internet
Way too much advertising but not too bad. Themes hit a bit too close to home.
[7]

Widows
Wonderfully directed and we'll acted. Very solid film.
[9]

Bad Times At The El Royale
Blandly directed Tarantino wannabe.
[4]

Crazy Rich Asians
Not the worst way to spend a couple of hours. Ending resolved a bit too quickly.
[6]

Mortal Engines
A bit of a mess. Probably 3 films forced into 1. Nice visuals in parts.
[3]

SHAZAM!
Didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Should have had more of the funny.
[6]

21 Jump St
Still one of my favourite recent comedies. Funny. Good chemistry with the leads.
[9]

A Simple Favour
Not a thriller. Kind of comedy. Not enough mystery. Kinda boring. Weird movie
[5]

Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Poppins is a bitch and lost her knack for song-writing. Almost turned it off.
[3]

Once
Charming little music based film. Really nice.
[8]

A Star is Born
Man makes a woman famous. Film doesn't earn the moments it wants. Held up by the leads.
[5]

Avengers Endgame
Very good end to this series of characters
[9]

Burning
Very good Korean drama. Nice long burn
[8]

Detective Pikachu
Loved it. A kids film with a lot of humour and heart
[8]

Under The Shadow
Iranian horror that was okay.
[6]

Paddington 2
Still amazing
[11]

How To Train Your Dragon 3
Not as good as 2. But still enjoyable
[6]

Possum
Weird and creepy little Norfolk horror. Highly recommend.
[8]

Dragged Across Concrete
Definitely his best film but still not sure his style is my thang
[6]

Resolution
Very good indie film made cleverly with a goo premise. Recommend especially if you like Primer
[8]

Godzilla 2
They really need to work on writing better stories. Luckily big things smash into big things
[6]

Avengers Endgame
Second time cos why not. Was good again and seemed to feel even shorter
[8]

Spring
Another film by the Resolution guys. Very well done on a small budget. Resolution a bit better
[7]

Arrival
Still stunningly well made, maybe not as effective the second time
[8]

Murder Mystery
Another dumb Sandler comedy. This time they pay themselves to go to the French Riviera. Actually made me laugh a couple of times though
[5]

Wild Rose
A cliched but well acted movie that I enjoyed because of the characters.
[7]

Parasite
Very solid Korean thriller, not sure what it's message was though
[8]

Spidey FFH
A pretty good sequel that can't quite handle it's globe trotting story
[7]

Toy Story 4
Wholly unnecessary but very solid and funny sequel
[7]

World War Z
Woeful direction in a weirdly bloodless and bland action zombie film
[4]

Suspiria
Very nicely shot and very creepy when it wants to be. Shits the bed a little.
[8]

Paterson
Beautiful little film. It's all the little touches and moments that make it. That and the dog. Should have won best actor that dog.
[10]

Snowtown
Grim, fairly well made. Very Australian. Not sure it has much of a point though.
[7]

Vivarium
Interesting concept but not much to carry it through a whole film
[5]

Come to Daddy
Fun horror comedy. Maybe more thriller comedy. Some top cringe moments
[8]

Beats
Fun little film about mates and raves. Weird that it lags when it gets to the rave.
[8]

The Beach Bum
I think I know what it was taking the piss out of but that didn't make it a fun film to watch.
[3]

The Day Shall Come
A bit of a let down after such a wait from Four Lions. Best watch some Iannucci instead or back to Four Lions.
[5]

The Dead Don't Die
A bit of fun from Jarmusch but also nothing of real note.
[6]

Hobbs and Shaw
You know what you're in for really. Made me wish for the days of Fast 5 though
[5]

Slow West
A beautiful little film. Each scene is like a vignette but it fits together
[9]

In Fabric
Such a unique vision. Not quite as brilliant as Berberian but still a joy to watch
[8]

The Royal Tenenbaums
Good movie to watch when sick and you need some comfort. Don't think it's my fave of his anymore though
[8]

Something Else
Not quite as successful low budget horror as The Battery but still has some quality writing.
[6]

I Lost My Body
Interesting, funny and somewhat touching animated film about a severed hand. Good soundtrack.
[7]

The Lodge
Entirely derivative and poorly executed. Thanks, I hate it
[1]

Midsommar
Stunning direction and cinematography. Didn't grab me as much as Hereditary though.
[7]

Lost Soul
Scrappy but interesting documentary about movie making. Some fun behind the scenes footage and stories.
[6]

Weathering With You
Not as good as Your Name, story was a bit clunkily told, but it is still fun
[6]

The House That Jack Built
I'd glad filmmakers like Lars are making stuff but sometimes they miss more than hit.
[4]

Bait
Worse than I thought it was going to be. You gotta know how you're going to visualise the shark. They did not know. Very ropey effects too
[3]

Glass
Not too bad. Obviously small budget. Shame the limited set restricted the direction, the start had much more mojo.
[5]

The Dark Crystal
Not sure why it took so long to watch this. Very creepy but also fairly clunky in its storytelling.
[5]

Interstellar
Nolan is a great director but a pretty average writer. Zimmer's best soundtrack?
[8]

IT Chapter 2
I wish the director had more creativity. Great acting and visuals but terrible music and too many similar jump scares.
[6]

Gravity 3D Imax
My third time seeing it and it kind of has diminishing returns but it's still a cool ride. That second meteor strike sequence is a heck of a thing
[7]

The Endless
Solid low budget sci fi that continues on from Resolution. Maybe not quite as tight as that one but still clever and well executed.
[7]

AD Astra
Philosophising space adventure. Maybe doesn't execute the character arc as well as it thinks but I really enjoyed the ride. Stunning at times too.
[9]

Shark Night
Better than Bait. That's not saying much though.
[4]

The Nightingale
A difficult film to watch but an important one.
[9]

Joker
Stunning visuals and another great physical performance by Phoenix. I need to ponder the why of the film though.
[7]

El Camino.
Was fun to be back in that world even just for an extended episode.
[8]

Australian Dream
A good companion to Nightingale. Something all Australians should probably watch. Gives a lot of context to what is going on racially in this country.
[8]

Gemini Man
Interesting tech (120fps 3D) with some cool action but terrible writing. It's a shame because it would be interesting to see if the tech could be used for something useful.
[2]

Playing Hard
An interesting toe dip into what it takes to make a big budget videogame.
[6]

Apostle
A bit shit. Disappointing.
[3]

Between Two Ferns The Movie
Like most US comedies it has too much improv. The interviews are still good.
[5]

Lords of Chaos
Very good film about Norwegian Black Metal. Quite bloody but also quite funny at times.
[8]

Ready or Not
A fun concept made a bit average by the execution. Needed more directorial style.
[6]

Missing Link
Disappointingly average story with fun acting and incredible animation. I hope Laika keep making things but I also hope it's better than this
[6]

47 Metres Down Uncaged
What you expect really. Some surprisingly good moments but mostly undermined by completely CG shark. Ya gotta have a real puppet shark in there to sell those moments. These new directors never learn.
[5]

Dr Sleep
Not really a sequel to the Shining in terms of movie style but I loved what this did. It's classic King stuff with some stunning Flanagan filmmaking. Attention did wane at times though.
[8]

Dolemite Is My Name
Fun little biopic-ish movie about Blaxploitation film maker Rudy Ray Moore. Good to see Murphy back on screen plus lots of other fun cameos.
[7]

CLIMAX
Not as Gasper Noe-y as you might think. Lots of style but not as gripping or affecting as his other stuff. Nobody does credits like him though.
[6]

8th Grade
Very well realised and rather awkward film about being a teen.
[8]

Don't Look Now
I've heard it mentioned a lot in film discussion as a classic. It's a bit of its time, sometimes too much, but it is interesting. Will do some reading.
[5]

Reel Rock 14
Climbing short film collection. Was good fun with some beautiful scenery. Makes you want to get outdoors.
[9]

Little Monsters
Horror comedy is hard. This is a fun film with some zombies but it ain't no horror
[6]

Blockers
Pretty funny at times but also quite clunky at others in a way that suggests cobbling together of improv takes. Enjoyable no brainer stuff.
[6]

Terminator: Dark Fate
Good enough story but action is unexciting and the film is also clunky with unnecessary flashbacks and too much CGI. Linda Hamilton is phenomenal though.
[6]

Ford V Ferrari
A solid film of likes of Moneyball but not quite as good. Car scenes are fantastic though
[7]

Happy Death Day 2U
A fun story for a sequel that is hampered by bland and cliche scare sequences.
[6]

Knives Out
Enjoyable murder mystery but not quite as much as it thinks it is.
[7]


The Blob (80s version)
Can't believe I hadn't seen this till now. Amazing practical effects with dodgy green screen. Teen me would have loved it.
An 80s [9]

Frozen 2
Somewhat lackluster offering from Disney with some questionable politics in the story and lazy storytelling. Good songs and animation though.
[5]

Hostel Part 2
I couldn't remember if this was good. It's okay. Broadening the scope diluted what made the first so nasty and effective.
[5]

The Irishman
Too long and iffy CG faces on old old men. A classic Scorcese style film that's been done better by him before. Pesci is great.
[6]

Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker
A very rushed telling of a story. 2 films in one I think. Undoes too much of TLJ. Stunning production value though and excellent actings from the leads. It's Star Wars
[7]

Marriage Story
A touching and funny and very well acted film about a couple. Perhaps a touch long.
[8]

6 Underground
Literally the worst movie I've seen. Incomprehensible. Mean spirited. An expensive looking complete mess.
[0]

The Hallow
A mostly well executed, low budget monster film. Cool monsters. A little clunky and amateur at times.
[6]

Lego Movie 2
Even though it's written by Lord and Miller it doesn't have their spark. Too many jokes were clunkers. That animation though!
[5]

Klaus
A very nice, if a bit predictable, Christmas story. Stunning 2D animation and a good heart. I liked the chickens.
[7]

High Life
Very French space movie that isn't so concerned about the space bit. Interesting but maybe a bit too tired for it to grab me. I liked the lo-fi sci-fi aesthetic.
[5]

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Maybe not as fun the first time I saw it when it surprised me in how good it was. Still enjoyable though. Looking forward to the new one.
[7]

Thunder Road
A very good written by, directed by, edited by, main actored by one guy movie. Hits a lot of good notes.
[8]

Hellboy (the new one)
Average movies are interesting. This one seems to have had a trouble production. A lot of producers. Ill placed pop songs are a good indication of differing opinions. The script is bland too. Nice practical effects, cruddy CGI. Not the worst thing ever. Just not worth spending your time on.
[4]

The Voices
Rather good and rather dark comedy with Ryan Reynolds made before every Ryan Reynolds movie had him playing Deadpool.
[8]

Booksmart
Very funny coming of age film that was a bit more stock standard in its story beats than I thought it would be. That deficit made up for by the chemistry of the leads.
[8]

Dante's Peak
Not a bad way to end 2019 movie watching. Still a classic. Like Twister it has enjoyable characters and a well set up premise with great special effects. Awesome miniature work in this.
[9]

poprock wrote:

I don’t think there’s any way I’ll keep this up through the year, but you never know …

Webbins wrote:

1. Ready Player One
Didn't enjoy as much as I hoped I would, entertaining though. 7

2. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Brilliant from start to finish, so many stand out performances. 9.5

3. Icarus
Netflix doping doc, gripping, amazing and revelatory. 9

4. Split
Fairly good thriller. James McAvoy superb, all 24 of him. 7.5

5. Source Code
Nifty, pacy and enjoyable Gyllenhaal groundhog techno thriller. 8

6. FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
Festival fuck up doc. From frying pan to the fyre. 8

7. Good Time
R-Patz doesn't suck in stylish bro crime caper. 8

8. Seven Psychopaths
Entertaining star studded pooch flavoured black comedy caper. 7.5

9. Caddyshack
Chase and Dangerfield tee off in tittersome 80s golfing comedy. 6

10. A Perfect Day
Aid worker Del Toro leads in good Balkan War tale. 7.5

11. John Wick
Keanu kicks ass in stylish, dog/car/wife revenge thriller. 8

12. The Shape of Water
Quirky, touching, Guillermo del Toro creature feature. 7.5

13. John Wick 2
Keanu kicks more ass in stylish, delayed retirement thriller. 8

14. Nocturnal Animals
Engaging and stylish, novel within a film, noir thriller. 8

15. Ride Along
Rubbish, if mildly diverting, Cube and Hart buddy cop movie. 5.5

16. A Quiet Place
Gripping, tense, nervy thriller. The silence is deafening. Brilliant. 9

17. Boyz N The Hood
Highly charged, classic LA hood movie. Still got it. 8.5

18. American Made
Enjoyable adventure, Cruise entertains as a drugs/gun running pilot. 7.5

19. Triple Frontier
Ghost Recon: Wildlands meets The Million Pound Drop. Not bad. 7

20. Marauders
Bang average heist thriller. Inoffensive but unenthralling. 6

21. Deadpool 2
Fourth wall breaking super hero fun. Reynolds good, story weak. 7.5

22. American Psycho
Yuppie nutjob Bale excels in dark, witty, novel adaptation. 8

23. Prisoners
Outstanding abduction thriller. Gyllenhaal and Jackman on top form. 9

24. Shot Caller
Prison and gangs crime thriller. Film ok, mustaches bad. 6.5

25. Ingrid Goes West
Insta stalking nutcase hounds narcissist in darkly comic indie tale. 8

26. The Impossible
Gritty, dramatic and touching 2004 tsunami based disaster flick. 7.5

27. Sicario: Day of the Soldado
Benicio and Brolin boss it in top cartel thriller. 9

28. The Gambler
Self loathing Marky Mark busts out in humdrum gambling drama. 6

29. Happy Death Day
Groundhog Day slasher lite flick, fun if not memorable. 6.5

30. Road House
Broody, philosophical Swayze cleans up lawless town. Cheesy, bloody fun. 7

31. Super Troopers 2
Boys are back. Silly, fun sequel to cult cop comedy. 7

32. The Big Short
Slightly bewildering but utterly engrossing, all star financial crisis drama. 8.5

33. Office Christmas Party
Chaotic, Jason Bateman led comedy. Some laughs but not a cracker. 6

34. The World's End
Chaos fuelled Cornetto trilogy finale. Fun but weakest of the three. 7.5

35. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile
Efron is effective as Bundy in below par melodramatic retelling. 6

36. Lakeview Terrace
Samuel L. Jackson's cop plays good neighbours in racially themed thriller. 6.5

37. The Town
Affleck directs and stars in this taut and excellent, Boston heist thriller. 8.5

38. Centurion
Fassbender and Brit regulars play Romans on the run in bloody adventure. 6.5

39. It Comes At Night
Effective and tense survival thriller. Just missing a little something extra. 7.5

40. The Meg
Big shark bites off more than it can chew with the Stath. 6.5

41. Bad Day For The Cut
Farmer seeks revenge but finds dark family secrets in decent Irish thriller. 7

42. Scream
Still great after all these years. Playable, fun, cliche bashing horror. 8.5

43. Scream 2
Less impactful than the first but still good, watchable fun. 7.5

44. 21 Jump Street
Hill and Tatum chemistry and humour highlights this zany update. 7.5

45. Scream 3
Dropping off hard now. Fun and humour is thin, poor trilogy finale. 5.5

46. The Raid
Heart pumping, high rise actioner. Never a flat note. 8.5

47. The Domestics
Thematically hit and miss, but very watchable, post apocalyptic survival thriller. 7.5

48. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut
Potty mouthed, unsubtle, politically incorrect and violent... what's not to like? 7.5

49. The Invitation
Slow burning ensemble thriller that just pays off in the final third. 7

50. BlacKkKlansman
Spike Lee blends comedy and drama in this interesting, thought provoking film. 8.5

51. War Dogs
An entertaining tale on the highs and lows of being arms dealers. 7.5

52. A Simple Favour
Kendrick shines in this decent darkly comic thriller from Bridesmaids Paul Feig. 8

53. Scream 4
Stretching the plot/killer far now. Quality somewhere between 2 and 3. 6.5

54. Blindspotting
Enthralling tale of friends and the clash of Oakland old and new. 9

55. Lifechanger
Nifty horror lite tale of a murderous, lovelorn shapeshifter. 7.5

56. Charlie Wilson's War
Hanks and Hoffman on form in Soviet-Afghan era biographical comedy drama. 8

57. American Gangster
Strong Ridley Scott bio of gangster Frank Lucas. Denzel and Crowe solid. 8

58. Safety Not Guaranteed
Kooky and touching sci-fi rom-com, love Aubrey Plaza. 8.5

59. Between Two Ferns: The Movie
Lightweight but amusing Zach Galifianakis web show spin off. 7.5

60. Avengement
Gritty Scott Adkins Lahndan gangster revenge beat 'em up. Actually not bad. 7

61. Hotel Mumbai
Unflinching, tense and dramatic account of 2008 Mumbai attacks. 8

62. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Strong individual performances and a well crafted film that didn't overly enthrall. 7

63. Halloween (2018)
Decent reboot of sorts, short on scares and the OG's creepiness however. 7

64. Creep
Intriguing indie flick following a videographer and the titular 'creep'. 7

65. Anaconda
Mindlessly entertaining big snake on a boat creature feature from the 90s. 6.5

66. Friday the 13th
Back to Camp Blood we go, iconic old skool slasher fun. 7.5

67. Friday the 13th Part 2
Sackcloth Jason's turn to cull the councillors, mother would be proud. 6.5

68. Friday the 13th Part 3
Jason finds his mask and a film of contrived 3D scene shots. 5.5

69. You Were Never Really Here
Phoenix battles his demons and sex traffickers in this compelling thriller. 8

70. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Jason's terror reign continues in this improved sequel, featuring a young Feldman. 6.5

71. Friday the 13th Part 5: A New Beginning
Nosedive in quality as 'Jason' inflicts terror on a halfway house. 5

72. The Game Changers
Interesting documentary on the benefits of a plant based diet. 7

73. Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives
A rebooted, resurrected Jason fails to inject life into this limp showing.5

74. Friday the 13th Part 7: The New Blood
A telekinetically resurrected Jason slays by numbers in another weak sequel. 5.5

75. Friday the 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan
Takes Manhattan? He takes a cruise and has a tear up at the docks. The end. 5.5

76. Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Perfectly cast meta popcorn romp, great fun. 8

77. Don Jon
Serial wanker Gordon-Levitt prefers porn over Scarlett Johansson. Ok then. Decent flick. 7.5

78. Mac & Devin Go To High School
Snoop and Wiz graduate high and invent 'green' energy... a propaganja film. 6.5

79. Support The Girls
Film focusing on the female manager and girls of a sports bar/breastaurant. 7.5

80. The Perfection
A virtuoso, dark and twisty, classical music themed horror thriller. Bravo. 8.5

81. Black Swan
Portland's Oscar winning pirouette as an unravelling ballerina in Swan Lake lead. 8.5

82. The Debt Collector
Scott Adkin’s newbie debt collector bites off more than he can kick. 7

83. Destroyer
Nicole Kidman's ageing detective is very effective in this revenge thriller. 8

84. Den of Thieves
Vastly inferior yet still entertaining Heat inspired heist caper with Gerard Butler. 7

85. Head Count
Not terrible alien urban legend body snatching horror lite. 6.5

86. Halloween (1978)
The OG. John Carpenter's lesson in creepiness still chills. 8

87. Casino Royale
Bland Bond is a watch but I never gelled with Craig. 6.5

88. Quantum of Solace
Writer's strike afflicted follow on to Casino is similarly bland. 6

89. Halloween II
Picking up straight from H1, this sequel is a lesser chiller. 6

90. Die Hard
My favourite festive film and one of the best films full stop. 9

91. Skyfall
Mendes assured quality increase, Craig era highpoint. 7.5

92. Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Strangely compelling if bonkers Myers less sequel. A cult classic. 7

93. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
Michael returns to carve up his niece but forgets to bring scares. 6

94. '71
Gripping Troubles tale of soldier abandoned by unit in 70s Belfast. 8

95. Turner & Hooch
Classic 80s Hanks yarn. The viewing of many a wet school lunchtime. 7

96. Spectre
Weak follow up to Skyfall, even with Mendes at the helm. 6.5

Webbins wrote:

I try to not watch shite, usually check Rotten Toms before I plunge. Marking out of ten is quite wide though, maybe I could try the five star system for 2020.

Cosby wrote:

Gotta have the odd bit of trash in the schedule to rebalance the gauge though I reckon.