What movies did you see last week? (9/14-9/20)

Why did Martin_Stett quit?

The Dinner Game - Not the laugh marathon I've been led to believe it would be, but a fairly decent and amusing comedy which doesn't feel like it escapes its stage origins but still generally manages to entertain.

Tenet - Extraordinary stuff. Nolan unhinged. I'm already hoping that in a few years it'll get reevaluated as one of his greatest works. It should be! This screams 'underrated during the initial run but beloved in the long run' to me.

The Kentucky Fried Movie - Kind of funny with some shorter sketches definitely outfunnying the longer ones. I expected a little bit more hilarity from it tbh. And that middle segment "A Fistful of Yen" really drags the whole thing down, despite eliciting some chuckles.

One Deadly Summer - An extraordinary performance by Isabelle Adjani elevates the film which could've otherwise been just unpleasant pulp. Apparently the director initially intended it to be 3 hours long but was asked to cut the film down - that's all good but the thing still ends up feeling overlong as it is. Thankfully Adjani makes it all worthwhile.

Dead Again - Very convoluted and frankly silly thriller in which Branagh attempts to pay homage to Hitchcock but clearly doesn't have his visual chops to pull off the task. And the story really is kind of ridiculous, especially to me since I'm not really into stuff like reincarnation. I kept wishing De Palma made it - this is definitely more his turf.

First Blood - I didn't expect it to be as action packed as it's usually considered a 'smaller' film but I do understand that in comparison with the more OTT sequels it does look subdued. It's a pretty decent flick with a necessary feeling of pain running through it.

Pat and Mike - I wish this was directed by Howard Hawks or something because George Cukor doesn't really bring the energy and the humor the story deserves. Hepburn is really good though.

The Devil All the Time - A lame collection of misery-filled setpieces which don't amount to much at the end. A bit of a waste of a decent cast too.

Little Nicky - I've been on a sort of Sandler odyssey as of late and this is among the last batch of movies I need to watch. It's got everything a classic Sandler movie needs to have and it's almost good. At this point I'm just enjoying the Sandler universe for its simple pleasures like all the cameos and his buddies' appearances. This has plenty. Surely this concept could've been done better and the effects surely needed some upgrades but all in all it's fun.

You and Me - A Soviet arthouse piece about trying to find your place in life. Western audiences mainly know Larisa Shepitko through "The Ascent" but this is a movie which is just as worthwhile. Very unusual but quite haunting.

The Prestige - REWATCH. I prefer my Nolan bigger and more bombastic but this is an excellent film about obsession. Furthermore, like other Nolan movies, it also seems to be about movies - about the price of devoting your life to the creation of illusions. Why on earth do the end credits feature a mood-breaking Thom Yorke song I will never get though

Beau Travail - Claire Denis doesn't seem to be my thing. The vibe of the movie seems to be the main thing of interest here, and yes, it's peculiar, but during numerous stretches I just felt very little engagement with the film. The ending is awesome though so props for finishing on a high note.

Total Recall (1990) (Rewatch) - 7/10
The Mummy Returns (2001) (Rewatch) - 6/10
Last Letter (2020) - 8/10
Lost Girls And Love Hotels (2020) - 3/10
Love In The Afternoon (1957) - 6/10
Experiment In Terror (1962) - 8/10
Double World (2020) - 7/10

Death Wish (2018)
The Girl on the Train

Rewatches

Bicentennial Man
The Dark Knight
Philadelphia
Arsenic and Old Lace