Name & Rate Movies You've Watched Last Week [Self-Isolation edition] [closed]

Question

Series Format: 

1. List the movies you've watched since March 1st.
2. Write a review of the film (Short or long, it's up to your convenience) 
3. Rate the film out of 10.
4. Choose Movie of the Week

This is one of the longest-running post 'series' in our Forum, started by user Ankit 007. Here is the first post from the series. The series was interrupted with Ankit leaving the forum about half a year ago.

With lockdown and isolation happening almost everywhere around the world due to COVID-19, we all have plenty of time to watch films right now—so upon suggestions from the Mods team, I've brought back the series. 

Few posts from the series to refer for new users who are not familiar:

1. Name And Rate Movie You Watched (4th March - 17th March). Also Choose Movie Of The Week. Week 263-64.
2. Name And Rate Movie You Watched (18th March - 31st March). Also Choose Movie Of The Week. Week 265-66.
3. Name And Rate Movie You Watched (4th March - 17th March). Also Choose Movie Of The Week. Week 263-64.

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Here goes Mine: (These are the films I've watched in last 3-4 days or so, will add the rest accordingly)

1. 1917 (English) [Rating: 9 8.5/10] - This film follows the journey of two British soldiers during WW1, where they are tasked with finding a battalion far ahead in the enemy territory, to deliver the message to call off an attack, to save them from impending doom. The film is directed in a way that it feels like it was captured in one long continuous shot, without cuts. If you are attentive enough you can certainly spot clever transitions made by the director, to seamlessly stitch long scenes together to make it seem like a single-shot film. I don't want to indulge in other aspects of the film, just for its direction and cinematography—It is a must film, and I'd thoroughly recommend it.
2. Knives Out (English)  [Rating: 9 8.5/10] - It is a mystery crime film with well-balanced comedy & family drama sprinkled on top. The movie keeps you engaged until the climax. I was able to partially predict the climax before-hand, but that has more to do with my world-class deduction skills and less to do with the quality of the film. I recommend this one as well. 
3. Contagion (English) [Rating: 6/10] - Basic premise: An unknown pandemic breaks out in the world, seemingly originated from Hong Kong, and is imported to the US. The film revolves around how the community reacts to the outbreak, how it takes a toll on health workers. It's an OKAY-ish film, but the current situation with the Corona Virus outbreak - this becomes a must-watch. 
4. Ayyappanum Koshiyum (Malayalam) [Rating: 8/10]: The story of the film revolves around an ego-clash between a policeman and an influential retired Military officer. Acting performance from both the leads, Prithviraj & Biju Menon is top-notch. The film keeps you hooked for its entirety. The running time of the film is 3 hours(!!!), but I didn't mind it that much.
5. Jojo Rabbit [English] [Rating: 6.5/10]: It is a sweet tale of a young boy living with his mother in Hitler's Germany. The story takes a turn when the young boy, who is a Hitler admirer(!), finds out his mother has a Jew girl hidden in his house. Its a decent watch. Not quite a masterpiece, but certainly watchable for its message.
6. The Invisible Man [English] [Rating: 6/10]: The Hollow-man for me was better, but this is worth a watch for sure. There are some well shot tense moments in the film. 
7. The Hunt [English] [Rating: 4/10]: Crappy—Hunger games remake. SKIIIP!
8. The Platform [Spanish] [Rating: 6.5/10]: Spanish films are the best when it comes to unusual plots, and The Platform is no different. The film is set in a prison-like vertical pit where each level has two prisoners. Once per day, a platform containing luxurious food items lowers itself through each floor. The prisoners on each level are given two minutes per day to eat whatever they like and then the platform moves down a level until it reaches the bottom. No food is allowed to be kept for later, you're only supposed to eat whatever you want in the two minutes. Every month the prisoners are shuffled to a different level of the pit. The film points out the inherent capitalist & selfish nature of the film. I didn't like the climax too much, but it was a decent watch overall, especially for the plot's peculiarity. 

Movie of the Week: 1917 & Knives Out

Answer 1

Was watching 2-3 movies per month before this COVID-19 thing, had no time. After this closure, have gotten a chance to watch several movies.

1. Spies in Disguise (6/10): Decent animated movie. There's nothing particularly great about it, but the animation is good, the characters are fun enough, and the deeper message, while unrealistic, is good to see as well.

2. Knives Out (8/10): I really wanted to watch this in the cinema, but was unable to. Watching it now made me realise that I should have gone out of my way to go to a cinema for it. It's a very smart and breezy movie. The core mystery is interested, but the dual narratives this movie follows make it way more fun to watch. I did not like Daniel Craig's performance, while Chris Evans was very good as expected. A great hope for original movies.

3. Jumanji: The Next Level (6.5/10): This one feels underwhelming because the previous movie was a huge surprise and one of my fav movies of 2017. The surprise element is gone this time, we knew what to expect. It's also not as funny as that movie. What makes it worse is the 2 older characters, who are unable to understand the world they are in. That gets frustrating because even in the end, they are still confused. The Rock acting as Danny Devito also got a bit too much. Otherwise, the comedy is good, action set pieces are good, and character growth also follows the last movie. The ending made me excited for the next one. Wish Robin Williams was still alive.

4. Timmy Failure (closed midway): Seemed like a fun movie to watch. Disney movie about a kid detective. But early on I understood the tone and where it would ultimately go. The lead actor wasn't great, and it felt like i had seen this movie many times before. Skip.

5. Sonic the Hedgehog (5.5/10): Again, a generic storyline that just fits an iconic character into it. I didn't have any big complains or compliments for this movie. Just that I got to see the old Jim Carrey again, and this movie is worth watching for that alone.

6. Peanut Butter Falcon (6.5/10): A feel-good movie about a guy with down syndrome who wants to be a wrestler. It's a road trip that is also about getting over tragedy and finding your own family. I could see where this movie was going, and the ending is a little implausible, but the lead's chemistry with Shia Labeouf was very sweet, and that is what makes this movie work.

7. Last Christmas (6/10): Rom-com with a twist that can be seen from a mile away. Even then, Emilia Clarke is a perfect rom-com lead, and she carries this movie. The immigration angle feels forced a little. But overall this movie is good to watch if you want to relax and get Xmas feels.

8. Onward (7.25/10): I felt from the trailers that the character designs were really poor, it looked ugly. Regardless, in the movie itself it looks fine and the movie is good one. Its classic Pixar emotions. If this was a Dreamworks movie, I could see them going for the easy ending, but Pixar goes for a more satisfying one. The adventure is fun, and the dad only being half there was used very cleverly. The focus on brotherly love was actually good. Finally got to see teens and young-adults who aren't assholes and don't fight for no reason. Unfortunately, this one was bombing even before COVID-19 took hold. I would have liked to see sequels. Looking forward to Soul.

9. Chamatkar (4/10): Standard 90's movie with cheesy comedy, faltu romance. Add in terrible effects and stretched story, and the only value this movie had for me is nostalgia.

10. Kachche Dhaage (5.5/10): A good story that is deserved better treatment. The romance parts in between ruin the flow of the story, and there is just something missing to make this one a legitimately good movie, can't put a finger on it. But otherwise, Ajay and Saif are good, their chemistry works, and the movie gives a reasonable conflict to the main characters without making them the villain. The ending is earned.

Movie of the week: Knives Out.

Just as an addition, I also decided to watch a sitcom, since I usually watch one during vacations, and these days it does feel like vacations (despite work from home and online classes). I settled on 30 Rock, which has been in my list for a long time. I'm done with a 3rd of the 1st season, and am liking it so far. Feels like a sibling to The Office and Parks and Recreation.

Comments

I have Sonic downloaded, is it that bad minus Jim Carrey's performance?

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chamatkaar is excellent man (dance)

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@Zin: not bad, just generic. If you've seen a movie about unlikely allies becoming friends, then you've already seen this movie. Jim Carrey brings a much needed craziness and energy to the movie, but he's not the main character so he isn't there for the entire movie.

@Brajesh93: to each his own.

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Aww, that's a shame. I was looking forward to watching it, all the more after the whole controversy and was silently rooting for it to be a decent film. At least it did well at the Box Office. I'll give it a go, lets see.

@Brajesh Loved Chamatkar when I was in Mid 10's. Don't wanna risk watching it again and ruining it.

Answer 2

Missed this post for long..

Just mentioning the ones between 1st March to 24th March in no particular order.

1. 1917 [2020] = 8/10 [A solid film with sheer technical brilliance. Highly Recommended.]
2. Love Mocktail [2020 - Kannada] = 6/10 [Actually a good film. My rant regarding the film would involve the major spoiler so avoiding that, the film is directed by Darling Krishna aka Madarangi Krishna who is also the writer & producer for this film. The main lead actress Milana Nagaraj who is also his fiancee in real life has co-produced the film, co-dialogue writer too. But the highlight is how well the film is directed post the initial glitches. Wouldn't overhype it like others, it's a simple film which is honestly well made & makes up for a decent watch.]
3. Dia [2020 - Kannada] = 3/10 [The film is super tragic. Among positives, the film is really well shot. I never understood the overhype it has got. The writing is below par & pointless. You really don't need to stick to tragedy every second scene to make an impact. The film is beyond depressing, rather than shock & hurt you in the end with the tragic theme, it makes you numb to the tragedy scenes. Only so many death + death by suicide one can take in a film that wants to scar you if you believe in love.]
4. The Grudge [2020] = 2/10 [Why? Why opt for non-linear narrative? Why opt for three different timelines? Why even make this film?]
5. Mirage [2018 - Spanish] = 5/10 [Harsh rating for the predictability + slow pace of the film. Otherwise a solid fantasy thriller concept which is aided by some really good acting by the lead cast & the director almost achieves what he wanted. It was the writing which needed to be crisp. A thriller can't have a slow narration at crucial times.]
6. Amruthavarshini [1997 - Kannada] = 9/10 [Re-Watch. All time favorite film plus after putting myself through duds like Avane Srimannarayana, Nanna Prakara & Dia, needed this to get my faith back on Kannada films.]
7. Nanna Prakara [2019 - Kannada] = 1/10 [I haven't been this furious on any film since Shah Rukh's Zero. Terrible film making, atrocious writing & bad acting. The things you would never say when the cast includes talents like Priyamani, Kishore & even the veteran Girija Lokesh. How could one churn out such an amateurish product? Just an example, half the film goes with Kishore (cop) investigating a murder case by arresting a suspect only to have his wife Priyamani (wife) recognize rhe victim as her patient & reveal that she wasn't pregnant when she died. Basically, the cop mistook the victim because her name matched with another girl whose boyfriend confessed of killing over pregnancy stuff without even reading the post mortem report. It is Priyamani who points this out at the interrogation at the police station, again a place where she is not supposed to be in the first place. I rest my case. And amateurish, the actors kept staring at the camera at multiple times when the camera is not pointed at them.]
8. Jaanu [2020 - Telugu] = 5/10 [A Xerox copy of the gem 96. Proved again, it's impossible to like the tremakes of 96, not that they are not good. Just that the connection is too strong with 96 & it is tough to accept anyone else as Ram & Jaanu. That will always be Vijay Sethupathi & Trisha Krishnan. The only thing I liked here was they retaining the Kaadhale Kaadhale tune as it is.]
9. Knives Out [2019] = 8/10 [A strong 8. Had to keep this to the end. What a film! Simply loved it. Terrific thriller + entertainer from first scene to the end. Brilliantly written, directed & acted. A must watch.]
   .
   Among TV-Series it was Altered Carbon Season 2. Found it good despite being predictable. Other than that it's the usual one episode per week with the regular shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Flash, Batwoman, Black Lightning, Supergirl, Young Sheldon etc..

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Movie(s) of the Month perhaps - Amruthavarshini (even though I have recommended this multiple times before), Knives Out, 1917 & Love Mocktail.

Answer 3

Invisible man: 3/5
Shazam: 3/5
Tumbbad: 4/5 (an extra 0.25 purely for the effort put in by the makers and the superb acting).

Movie of the week: Tumbbad

Comments

I hated Shazam, couldn't even complete it.

Tumbbad, on the other hand, is a treat. I loved the cinematography more than anything.

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Found shazam a decent one time watch. Breezed through it. Tumbbad is a visual treat agreed.

Answer 4

Going in the order I watched them.

1. Shadaa: This was a rewatch, hated the second half in theater, this time felt it tolerable. Will recommend it though if you thought Good Newwz was a good film, this will come as much much better. 4/10.
2. Sufna: Only film in theater this year, A good love story elevated by music but leave it in the theater when you leave film. 7/10.
3. Little Women: I have very little amount of words to say it was good. 7/10
4. Tanhaji: The film suffers from poor writing, ridiculous action and cartoonish visuals. Had zero emotional binding and me being outsider had zero connection to Maratha sentiments. In fact, it was Saif's character which felt like someone with a motivation. A lineant 3/10.
5. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The digital rewatch. When I watched it in theater, it was so much to digest at a time so I had mixed feeling about it and was eagerly waiting for digital release. I actually have a video for the response. Anyways, It's a shitshow of film, with what the fuckery in every 10 mins of film, just like GoT finale. But also just like GoT finale, it ends on emotionally nostalgic note. Rey...Rey Skywalker.
   That said, screw you JJ Abram. The Last Jedi set the Star Wars toward greatness, you ended it with a fooking dumbfuckery. Wish R. Johnson trilogy is able to fill the void. 4/10
   PS. Finn is a force user, that's confirmed in film explicitly, noticed this time. Not worth anything tho.
6. Sonic The Hedgehog: Actually a fun film par Tier C MCU movie. That's an incredible feat considering how awful the first trailer was both visually and by tone. 4/10
7. 1917: Absolutely brilliant. I love to watch World War trenches. That's terrible thing to say. It looked so beautiful except one scene where a guy put hand in another dead guy's stomach which was eaten by rats. ugh. The way it was shot, British accent, British actors. Loved it. Sometimes I actually forget about British atrocities watching British actors. 8/10.
8. Skyfall: I was told that Casino Royale is best Bond film, which I found very dull, dumb and anything else derogatory starting with "du". Therefore I had very low expectations. Anyways, Done to death plot with nothing really special except Craig's charisma. 6/10.
9. Spectre: I was told that this is the bad one. Now I had no expectations from script or story considering the better one also was dumb, so I watched it only for Craig, who didn't disapointed. 5/10.
10. The Invisible Man: The film has its flaws but you can ignore them. A good solid watch. A lineant 7/10.
11. Onward: I had very high expectations from film. I loved the trailer and promos and the film is very good as well but. But Pixar has set their standards so high, this came as tier B Pixar film. 7/10
12. Upgrade: A good Black Mirror film 6/10

Among TV Series,

1. The Test: Poorly staged and enacted PR exercise by Cricket Australia but it's always good to look behind the scene cricketers. 3/10.
2. Better Call Saul - S05: Better than Breaking Bad (except S05). 9/10

Comments

Completed watching Upgrade right now, thanks for reviewing it. I find it decent as well. Quite Black Mirror-esque, with an homage to 'Grain' from the series. A Huge black mirror fan here!

Have you seen Ex-Machina?

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Yeah it's decent film. I liked Black Mirror but not fan sorta liked. Weirdly I found the PM *** Pig episode very weird which actually had mixed response.

Naa. Haven't seen Ex Machina. Will check tho.

Also in Upgrade, felt like watching discount Tom Hardy & Leo DiCaprio.

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Do check Ex Machina out, its as Black Mirror-esque as it gets.

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Watched it. Good climax, though average overall. A lineant 5.

Answer 5

Parasite - 6/10 Highly overrated
Memories of murders (by same director) - 10/10 GOAT IN THRILLER GENRE
Idi i smotri (Russian: Иди и смотри) - 9/10
Kucch to hain - 6/10

Series
Fauda - 8/10
Special ops 8/10

Comments

Wow, thanks for the link, that's a nice print as well. Did you find captions to be decent, subtitles I mean? I will check it out as well.

Also, do you have any more non-mainstream movie suggestions from the thriller genre? Crime thriller preferred.

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The French Connection (1971)
The Skeleton Key 2005
A Pure Formality (1994)
Breakdown
Zodiac
Knife in the Water (1962)
Insomnia (Norwegian , 1997)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
road to perdition
Joy Ride
Wake in Fright (1971)
Eight Below

They might not all be rare but few of my favs
Warning Might be slow (for some )
Enjoy

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Thanks for the list. I have seen most of it, will check others that I haven't! Once again, tysm!

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Le Cercle Rouge
Voyna absolute incredible better than any english war movie i watched
The 400 Blows
Le Deuxième Souffle
12
Brat 2
The Fool (II)
leviathan -- another terrific russian flick

kindly suggest me too some good non english/non korean flicks in any genre(esp war/thriller) you watched

Answer 6

Onwards: We have seen almost all of it in one or other movie of Disney except for the 2 brothers angle which it explored so well. I will recommende it but beware that though it has a Coco kind of wibes both are far apart. 7/10
Birds of Prey: Only Margot Robbie was a saving grace here as nothing seems like taking a movie a notch higher. 5.5/10
Knives Out: Though watched it about 2 week ago still want to mention it as its so good. Though I expected a bit more from the climax owing to the brilliant setup from the 1st half but still its a treat to watch Chris Evans and Dianel Craig together on screen and yes Katherine Langford is a blessing to eyes. 8/10
1917: Well others members have already said things about it. So, yeah its as they say, Brilliant. 9/10
So, I am finished watching Asur and need to admit that its one of the best in this field by India. Its intense, intriguing and thrilling. Arshad Warsi shows why he is one of the most underrated actors in industry today and has been not exploited except for his comic timing. Rest of the cast is excellent too. A special mention for a little boy Vishesh Bansal as every scene including him were heart wrecking. Highly recommend!!!! 8/10

Answer 7

Godfather (Malayalam) - 9/10

Rock On - 8/10

Dil Chahta Hai - 8/10

Ala Vaikuntapuramullo (Telugu) - 7/10

Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein - 9/10

Chronic Bachelor (Malayalam) - 8/10

Kadaram Kondan (Tamil) - 7/10

Comments

Godfather is such a classic, the one with Mukesh.

Did you watch Ayyappunum Koshiyum? It's basically a better version of Driving License.

Answer 8

1)Lust Stories: Except Kjo's story none of the others are good..It feels that they don't have any purpose and was not even interested to say a story..kjo's short film at least had some funny scenes and of course Kiara Advani.(3/10)

2)JJWS- it was a re watch. It's one of my favorite Aamir Khan films. I like almost everything about this film- the songs, set up, performances.(8/10)

3)RAW: I just randomly watched this film.John wasn't bad but the film was very stupid. Everything is just to easy and the climax is also not convincing.(4/10)

4)Jumanji 2: Comedy and the actions were good. But the interest and surprise element wasn't there....As I knew what's gonna happen.(6/10)

5)Oldboy: An excellent film...I don't really watch this kind of films very often but it was fabulous.. It's a Korean film and one of the best revenge stories I have seen.(8/10)

Movie of the week: Oldboy
Series
Dracula- only one season and probably​ the last one. First two episodes were fantastic, the 3rd one was not up to the mark..I felt that suddenly they needed to finish it. But still a good watch.(7/10)

Comments

Have you seen the Oldboy remake, the Hollywood one? I haven't seen the Korean one, just would like to know if it's fine to watch the Korean original having seen the remake already?

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No i have not seen it. You can give it a try..though as you already know the story you might not enjoy it that much