#2024 Movie Reviews

[thecountvoncurdles]

Yes, Madam! (1985)

If Yes, Madam! is on your radar, odds are you're already aware that Michelle Yeoh and Cynthia Rothrock are basically side characters to some bumbling goobers. The quality of their fights makes up for their relatively short time onscreen, and it doesn't hurt that the goobers--including Tsui Hark, whom I didn't know acted!--get some good hits in too.

A lot of this movie feels like a less whimsical Dragons Forever collided with a less nasty Righting Wrongs; frantic slapstick escalated to lightning fast fights, with the pedal welded to the metal. It's so frenetic and so breakneck that they barely introduce the villain or even explain what he's up to 'til the climax. There's a lot to like here, and I'm gonna be thinking about Yeoh and Rothrock's moves for a long time--I just wish the spotlight was on them, and not the guys who'd be the comic relief in anything else.

[taekwondolifemagazine]

Exhuma (2024) is a Top Notch Thriller

Exhuma (2024) is a Top Notch Thriller #Exhuma #WellGoUSA

March 15, 2024 (Levittown NY)– Exhuma (2024) is a Top Notch Thriller.  Director  Jang Jae-Hyun  masterfully tells the story of an unsettled spirit wreaking havoc on a 21st Century family in this modern horror classic.  This Well Go USA release hits limited release today, and broader theatrical release on March 22, 2024. Synopsis: When a renowned shaman (KIM Go-Eun) and her protégé (Lee…

[k-wame]

'it's an open relationship' oh im SEATED

[cosmo-lexies]

Damsel (2024)

I just saw the Damsel and I didn't expect that I would love it so much. Damsel subverts the trope of 'damsel in distress' and for a Shrek generation like me, it's a ticket to a place in my heart—besides, Millie Bobby Brown.

And yes Millie Bobby Brow, it's a very good argument so you go to watch the movie. Still not convinced? Okay, another good argument:

[lennenart]

I'm so goddamn obssessed with this film that I spent HOURS drawing this on while I'm working on a fanfic of them. And, I've been rewatching over and over, and looking for interviews and stuff.

Send help

[amtskind]

@sepulkralkreatur and i binge-watched the new kafka biopic-series, produced by german television. and i got to say - i loved it so much.

it combined the littlest details from kafka's life and also his aftermath, with his literary work - which often was linked to certain events. for those who read his work and diaries/biographies, spotting all the little references was very fun. and one of my most favourite things was probably the narrator with the reoccurring break of the fourth wall - as well as the music and collage-esque animations.

every episode was told through the perspective of significant people from kafka's life and dealt with a certain theme:

- as well as a 7th bonus-episode "kafka and me", which was more of a documental biography take with interviews, with a dog narrating the scenario and kafka's impact on our society.

joel basman did a great job at portraying franz kafka. the voice, the laugh and facial expressions being awkward all were very fitting and closing the hole, that we as readers experience towards kafka as a person.

the non-linear series served the exact atmosphere, that i associate with kafka: tragedy, humour, and the absurd. daniel kehlmann and david schalko did a great job on writing it. chapeau!

more posts about this series:

comparison of the actors and their roles

intro animations

scene: kafka at the yiddish theater

scene: kafka laughing

franz, dora and their shadow-play

kafka's literary works in the series

[panneshirley]

every movie I watched in 2024:

The Half of It dir. Alice Wu, 2020

[trickarrows-bishop]

"the main problem with the new mean girls-" and suddenly im not listening to what you have to say.

[thecalvinistkat]

More laughs than Binky the Clown and more holes than Swiss cheese— A Garfield movie 2024 review:

[redskull199987]

Guess who finally watched Dune Part II :D

!SPOILERS!

Ya'll, this movie sigle-handedly made me realize again just how much I love movies. It was so fucking awesome. Every littel Part about it

Let's start with the acting. And Oh boy, Every single actor and actress did their job perfectly. Everything felt so real. The Moment Paul drank the Water of Life??? You could literally see how he changed, how he embraced the fact that he is the Lissan Al-Gaib, the acting was literally perfect. And then there is freaking Austin Butler

This man has portrayed Feyd-Rautha so perfectly. When I read the Book, that was literally how I imagined him, it was awesome

Talking of Feyd-Rautha, the fight scene between him and Paul??? It was so good, my jaw literallly dropped when I saw it. The moment they stabbed each other being a reference to Part I where Gurney and Paul trained together, just chefs kiss.

Also, hear me out on Lady Jessica. I was so exited to see her become the Sayyadina. That transition from being a loving Mother to an Almost cult-like religous leader that pushes Paul into a direction of her wishes. It was portrayed beautifully. Let alone her character and Costume design. It was breathtaking.

Another thing that really blew my mind again, was the Soundtrack. Seriously, who let Hans Zimmer cook this hard?? The Soundtrack was literally one of the reasons I was so exited for Part II and was not dissapointed.

Let's also not forget the Scene where Paul rode on Shai Hulud for the first time. My jaw was literally on the Floor the entire Time. That was also one of the scenes, I was most exited for and man, I wanted to stand up and clap after it because it was so fucking awesome. The fact alone that the Fremen ride on the Sandworms has me giddy like a little kid.

And of course, the End, the beginning of the holy war. I must admit, I have not read past the first Book yet, but I am most exited to start now and I really hope that the Franchise gets continued. The final scenes just had so much power in them, you could almost feel the tension in the air, with Paul becoming the Emporer and leading the Fremen into battle. It was just mind-blowing.

[agentnico]

Dune: Part Two (2024) review

I’m fully aware that the Dune sequel has been hit by acclaim from both critics and audiences, and I shall share my own thoughts in due course, but also whilst presenting itself as a serious and sophisticated piece of artsy science fiction tackling challenging themes of religion and politics, from a marketing standpoint this film has been a major farcical meme. From the popcorn buckets shaped like suggestive sand worms (or more so accurately as deformed buttholes) to the viral TikTok video of an unnamed man riding a makeshift sand worm around a cinema lobby on his way to Arrakis, or more likely to one of the gazillion screenings of Dune: Part Two. But yes, absolutely mad bonkers advertising techniques, and not at all reflective of how seriously and straight faced the actual film plays. Anyway, let’s talk Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuneee…..

Plot: Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe, he must prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

Controversial opinion - I was not a fan of the first Dune. I thought it was all spectacle and no substance, and even then in regards to said spectacle, it was just sand. Lots of sand and bland dark visuals. I understand that the first movie acts as a massive exposition piece with lots of world building and introductions of all the characters and various political families and the spice trade and all that sweet jazz, but honestly it all felt so dragged out. Also a lot of narrative choices felt really immature and I did not buy it. In fact, the only memorable part for me was that female voice screaming on the music score every time something crazy happened, and my does that woman have some strong vocal pipe work! Like damn, her screams…. I really felt them!

Going into Dune: Part Two, I was very much of two mindsets. One was more so a feeling of obligation to watch it, as I wasted 3 hours of my life watching the first one that I felt I deserved some kind of closure for my efforts. The other being Denis Villeneuve. Aside from the first Dune, he’s a director that has constantly impressed me with his unique vision and style. Simply look at his past filmography! Prisoners. Enemy. Arrival. Sicario. All impressive pieces of genre filmmaking. Then there’s Blade Runner 2049, that took the classic Ridley Scott movie and managed to improve on it and become one of the most thrilling science fiction epics of the last decade. Also the trailers looked appropriately exciting, and it seemed like the second movie was actually gonna deal with some serious shit finally. Again, my problem with the first Dune wasn’t that it was slow. I mean, I can happily watch Paris, Texas any day of the week and be mesmerised by the empty yet beautiful takes of the American desert. It’s more-so that the first Dune felt aimless and messy. As for Dune: Part Two?

Well, if we’re going to use The Lord of the Rings terminology, and boy am I happy to refer to the dear-to-my-heart Middle Earth whenever I have the chance, then Dune: Part Two holds the scale of The Two Towers. I may not agree with all of it, and there are still some moments that drag, though The Two Towers is also guilty of that - I’m looking at you Treebeard! But overall this is one hell of a cinematic experience and achievement. Visually for one this is eye-candy. And yes, yet again there’s lots of sand, but this time around Villeneuve manages to find very creative ways to add/take away colour to make many sequences truly impressive. There’s an early scene where the Fremen are fighting Harkonnen goons in the desert and the entire thing is seeped in this blood orange palette, reminiscent of the Martian Chronicles, and then there’s the part where we are introduced to the Harkonnen home planet where the entire screen is drenched in hardcore intense black-and-white due to their sun only giving out white and black light, and instead of fireworks there are these watercolour stroked exploding in the sky, to of course the much talked about eye-dropping sand worm riding into battle scene that had the feel of the giant elephants appearing in The Return of the King, and yes that was another most delightful reference to Lord of the Rings! As I was saying though, the entire movie visually is certainly something to be in awe of.

Also Hans Zimmer’s score!! Of course the man’s a genius, having composed so many of cinema’s greatest musical compositions. I can recommend his Live in Prague performance! Hit after hit, and I find myself spinning it on my record player a good few times. Hans Zimmer’s Dune: Part Two soundtrack feels like a thunderously bombastic continuation and expansion of the first film’s more quiet and moody opener, and that shift in tone allows for some truly spectacular weaving of the composer’s thematic tapestry for Dune – with the finest new thread being the absolutely gorgeous love theme for Paul and Chani. A truly beautiful piece that echoes the heartbreaking tragic nature of the central romance of the film. Needless to say I’ve already pre-ordered the limited edition coloured vinyl of Dune 2’s soundtrack from Mutant (the new Mondo).

As for the narrative, as that is where I felt the first film faltered the most in my humble opinion (which I share so publicly online). I really do feel like the sequel is a major set up, for since the first one focused more on the endless word building and set-ups, this movie is all about the character developments. The scope is still big with the various political and religious elements that are tackled and explored throughout, however at the same time Dune: Part Two manages to feel more intimate compared to its predecessor, with the unravelling of the romance between Paul and Chani, but more so the inner struggles of Paul Atreides, as he tries to balance his emotions of revenge with the feeling of wanting to belong somewhere, as well as his denial of being called the so-called Messiah to the Fremen people. Look, the idea of the chosen one has been a concept that has been done over and over again, however I felt here they managed to really make it feel unique and different, with Paul choosing not to take this major responsibility due to visions of the future where he sees this choice result in darkness and dread, yet at the same time realising he has no choice but to follow his destiny and calling. It’s powerful stuff.

The cast list is stacked in this one. Timothee Chalamet is a rising star, having previously excelled his dramatic chops in Call Me by Your Name and his charismatic whimsy in last year’s Wonka, but this is by far his most impressive acting feat. You truly feel his character turning from boy to man, and it’s a real and raw performance. Zendaya shares great chemistry with him, but also in her own right gives a strong turn as a warrior Fremen conflicted with what she sees and thinks. Javier Bardem’s Stilgar adds a slice of surprising humour to the mix, being so obsessed with Paul being part of the prophecy that anything he’d do, Stilgar would find that to be part of what has been foretold. Paul Atreides could literally fart and Stilgar would observe in wonder proclaiming “as it was written”. There’s also a tiny No Country for Old Men reunion with Bardem being joined by Josh Brolin, who’s alright by the way, though it’s a typical Brolin brute role. Charlotte Rampling as the Reverend Mother continues being truly despicable and honestly that wench deserves to be put in her place - the movie’s ending is very satisfying in this regard. There’s also some newcomers to the Dune world too. Florence Pugh as the Princess reminded me a lot of Padme from Star Wars, and Christopher Walken I felt was tad miscast as the Emperor. Don’t get me wrong, Walken is a great actor, but his way of speech has been impersonated and overdone so many times that it is difficult to take him seriously in a role like this. Minus a couple of strong deliveries Walken felt really lazy here. You know who wasn’t lazy though? Austin Butler! This guy understood the assignment, playing the psychotic nutter Feyd-Rautha and he’s truly unrecognisable. Even his voice is different. Gone is Elvis and in cometh his Skarsgard impression! He’s brutal and maniacal and was honestly superb, and I wish there was more of him in this movie.

Again, it’s far from a perfect movie. There are parts still that drag, and certain times where things feel surprisingly rushed, but overall this is an experience through and through, and unlike my feelings after the first film, here I find myself really looking forward to the inevitable third part. In fact f*ck it, who am I kidding - this movie is bloody incredible!! Like I can’t even - it’s abso-fricking-lutely spectacular!! And by the way I read a bit about the Frank Herbert Dune books now and the future sequels are gonna be mad, just saying. Paul’s son becomes this half-man half-worm known as the God Emperor! Things are gonna get weird! Anyway, Dune: Part Two - go see it if you haven’t already. And in Austin Butler’s voice: “may thy knife chip and shatter”.

Overall score: 9/10

[tinkerbitch69]

Just watched Abigail and it’s kind of a sleeper hit. At least for me. The movie manages to combine the best kinds of suspense you get in both horror and heist films and even manages to flesh out a surprisingly likeable main cast to get munched on. Seriously builds a great atmosphere of paranoia, suspicion and mistrust all through the film. If it sounds like you’re thing I’d highly recommend checking it out. Was not expecting it to have such a good time and I’ll sing this film’s praise if no one else will lol.

[multifandominfj]

I said what I said.

[askmovieslate]

Jamesy: In all honesty though, it's great that it won so many.

Movie Slate: Weren't you bitching and moaning about the Oscars being stupid a few weeks ago?

Jamesy: Yepp!

Movie Slate: You make no sense!

Jamesy: And if it hadn't won any Oscars you'd be seeing me all mopey and upset, that much I can guarantee.

Movie Slate: Ugh, see the shit I have to put up with Goji?

[fuddlyduddly]

the duality of letterboxd reviews

overwritten psychological analysis or a oneliner

[urhotgf222]

challengers 2024