NEW: List some movies you've watched recently. Theatre, rental, TV... and give a */10

[DigDog]

i watched

Brubaker - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080474/reference/

which is kind of a ritual for me, every so many years i go back to this film. One of the reasons why i find Shawshank Redemption to be so middle-of-the-road, this too is a prison film, AND with Morgan Freeman.
Vaguely based on the 1967 prison scandal, Robert Redford stars as the titular warden of Wakefield prison, whose previous staff has fallen into a lifelong habit of crime and corruption. Inmates are being sold as slave labour to the local farmers, and reformist Brubaker tries to change this despite how deeply ingrained it is in the entire community.

Dunno, i just find the story more compelling than any Andy Dufrane.

useless trivia: this film stars Jane Alexander (i). There's another actress of the same name, Jane Alexander (iii) who used to be one of my drug buddies back in the days. You'll need to watch The Star Maker to see her though.

7/10

 

[DigDog]

ok so, this may sound crazy, but i watched

Borderlands - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4978420/reference/

and i thought it was decent.

Certainly not a masterpiece, but it starts strong, then slows down. It also doesn't really have a good "beat" (the sense where a film is progressing at a consistent rate, through several scenes that "make a point" or "strike a beat"), and the story suffers because it's very brief.
No point in spoilers of a film that everyone is hate-reviewing right now and had 4.3/10 on IMDb.

Cate Blanchett - who as always has a fantastic screen presence - is Lilith the siren, from the games. Except, she doesn't know that she is a siren, she thinks she is a miserable bounty-hunter whose mom abandoned her.
Evil Guy tells her to kidnap a child, and this is a Child Of Prophecy, with the child McGuffin Stuff will happen.
She immediately, like, within 5 minutes, finds the unfindable child, and again in the same scene they all make friends and become a Team, and Teams Stick Together(tm).

Then they straight up go to the mine where the Magical Key Needed For The McGuffin is and find it right away in a self-referencing scene ("but how did you find it so quickly?").

Again Evil Guy shows up and they just have a big fight where Lilith just wipes the floor with everyone using her magical powers.

Eh .. it's not GREAT ok, no, but it's not as obscenely bad as i was told it would be. Actually i think that with very slight changes to the direction, this could have been a very satisfying, if simple, popcorn movie.

I thought the costumes were pretty damn great.
I though Kevin Hart was fun, but i also see him playing a spoof of other Kevin Hart roles.
Cate Blanchett was good in every way.
Tiny Tina, i didn't like. But this is because i LOVE the games' version of Tiny Tina and anything less is an abomination, to me.

Moxxi i am not sure why, they decided to make old and ugly. She's supposed to be a fox, but here looks like a spent saloon whore.
The Psycho guy was excellent.

Evil Guy was not good. I can't stand evil guys that sit in the middle of the battlefield and do nothing.
Jamie Lee Curtis .. is too old. She can't play any physical roles, and sadly, can't move on a goddamn movie set. What is it that she looks always like she's never seen a camera before.

and, the saving grace of this film, Claptrap was actually funny. If anyone thinks this is a bad character because he's ANNOYING, they don't know what the fuck Claptrap is.

i'd give it a 5.5/10, almost-decent film score.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Anyone remember that movie where there's a deep underwater research station in the middle of an ocean and a group of researchers access it with scuba gear and there's some treachery involved by a mole and then they fight and only maybe one or two make it out? Maybe the movie wasn't about the research station but it was like the ending part of it or it could even be some episode of a series? I can't for the life of me recall any actor's face from that. Anyone seen something like that?

 

[DigDog]

Anyone remember that movie where there's a deep underwater research station in the middle of an ocean and a group of researchers access it with scuba gear and there's some treachery involved by a mole and then they fight and only maybe one or two make it out? Maybe the movie wasn't about the research station but it was like the ending part of it or it could even be some episode of a series? I can't for the life of me recall any actor's face from that. Anyone seen something like that?

.. the Abyss ?

 

[igor_kavinski]

.. the Abyss ?

No coz the one I remember had no aliens. It was just good guys and maybe one bad guy? But I should watch The Abyss. May have watched it when I was very young or maybe somehow I never came across it.

 

[DigDog]

No coz the one I remember had no aliens. It was just good guys and maybe one bad guy? But I should watch The Abyss. May have watched it when I was very young or maybe somehow I never came across it.

The Abyss back in the day of the theater release was a James Cameron masterpiece. Yes, the very last scene had some mediocre models, but i *think* that's been improved in later reissues (can't say if the half-hour extra runtime does the film any good) : https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096754/alternateversions/

Did the film you are thinking of, have illusionary monsters? It could be Sphere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphere_(1998_film)

Otherwise the list is here, https://www.imdb.com/list/ls004587557/ and the next likely candidates are Leviathan and Deepstar Six. (unless it was a VERY BAD movie and it had sharks in it).

 

[igor_kavinski]

Otherwise the list is here, https://www.imdb.com/list/ls004587557/ and the next likely candidates are Leviathan and Deepstar Six. (unless it was a VERY BAD movie and it had sharks in it).

No, it was some enemy spy amongst researchers etc. type of movie and it mostly takes place on the research station. At No.65 and can't find it. It wasn't THAT bad from what I remember to not have been in the top 65! It's also possible that it was a TV movie. That would explain its obscurity.

 

[JujuFish]

No, it was some enemy spy amongst researchers etc. type of movie and it mostly takes place on the research station. At No.65 and can't find it. It wasn't THAT bad from what I remember to not have been in the top 65! It's also possible that it was a TV movie. That would explain its obscurity.

Try asking ChatGPT about it. I did this with an obscure game I couldn't remember and it nailed it.

 

[DigDog]

Try asking ChatGPT about it. I did this with an obscure game I couldn't remember and it nailed it.

or maybe Akinator.

 

[DigDog]

I watched

The Illusionist - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443543/reference/

2006 film with Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, and ?Rufus Sewell? as Evil Guy.

Late 1800s, Vienna. A mysterious Illusionist (Norton) takes the city by storm, performing incredible magic tricks. He also seems to have an interest in the person of duchess Sophie, soon-to-be wed to Evil Guy Prince Leopold. Evil Prince send off his lapdog police inspector Paul Giamatti do fend off Norton, but to little or no avail, and a fight for the hand of the sexxy hot woman (Jessica Biel, no titties) is fought with politics and magic.


To make a long story short, Norton is really limited in range as an actor, and here he is even more wooden than in what other few films he's done.
Paul Giamatti absolutely eclipses him, to the point where HIS character is more of a protagonist than Norton's is.
Sewell is pretty decent as Evil Guy, playing a believable villain with a decent motive.

The story is meh. The way the film is structured is a shot in the foot, because it focuses on Norton and not in Giamatti's character, who is 1. the one to have an Arc, 2. the one who Discovers The Truth, 3. the one that defeats the villain.

You know how in Amadeus, the protagonist is Salieri, NOT Mozart? It's his reactions to the events in the story, that shape the character, his emotions, NOT FUCKING MOZART'S !!
To have it the other way around is just so fucking stupid, that despite having all the ingredients to a decent film in here, they are so poorly used, that the end result is just a mediocre, vaguely historical film with no special appeal whatsoever.

Would not recommend.

5.8/10

 

[lxskllr]

The Brave Little Toaster :^D

7/10 I was sufficiently entertained. Hard to take something like this too seriously. I watched it by mistake. What I wanted was The Brave Little Toaster Goes To Mars cause it was DeForest Kelly's last acting role. I'll watch that some other time. I'm toastered out for the time being.

Brave Little Toaster...

Goes to Mars...

The Brave Little Toaster Goes To Mars (1998) 720p Upscale : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Courageous household appliances team up for an out-of-this-world adventure in this animated sequel. The human owners of Toaster (Deanna Oliver), Faucet...

archive.org

 

[zinfamous]

No coz the one I remember had no aliens. It was just good guys and maybe one bad guy? But I should watch The Abyss. May have watched it when I was very young or maybe somehow I never came across it.

Deep Six, maybe? Or that was a monster flick...

 

[igor_kavinski]

Deep Six, maybe? Or that was a monster flick...

No. I'm beginning to think more and more that it was the ending of some movie and I can't remember anything but the end.

ChatGPT was no help either. It was funny that it was trying to persuade me to watch stuff that didn't fit my description:

A movie that fits your description is "Demon Seed" (1977). While primarily known for its sci-fi elements, it involves an AI in a futuristic home and includes themes of betrayal, along with a sense of confinement similar to an underwater setting. However, for a more direct match specifically involving an underwater research station, consider "The Silent Sea" (2021), a South Korean series that features a similar environment, intrigue, and betrayal.

 

[igor_kavinski]

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23468450/reference/

I like Maika Monroe. Make it a point to see her movies coz she chooses them well and she works on her characters. I think she does terrified face expressions really well. If you watched the whole movie without noticing a certain iconic actor, I wouldn't blame you. He is almost unrecognizable here.

Overall, it's slow burn horror. I would recommend it for the acting and not really the horror scenes (not horror enough, some people may complain).

6.5/10 (a little extra love for the sweetie Monroe)

 

[igor_kavinski]

Escape from Germany (2024) - IMDb

Escape from Germany (2024) Reference View

www.imdb.com

For a bunch of unknown actors (can't recognize any of them), it's a decent "true story" movie. Since I'm partial to such movies, I'll give it an easy 6/10. This is not top notch Hollywood material but it's done well enough to be watchable.

 

[balloonshark]

Anyone remember that movie where there's a deep underwater research station in the middle of an ocean and a group of researchers access it with scuba gear and there's some treachery involved by a mole and then they fight and only maybe one or two make it out? Maybe the movie wasn't about the research station but it was like the ending part of it or it could even be some episode of a series? I can't for the life of me recall any actor's face from that. Anyone seen something like that?

Leviathan? It was 2nd on the list posted above. AI says only two people survive.

Leviathan (1989) ⭐ 5.8 | Adventure, Horror, Mystery

1h 38m | 16

www.imdb.com

 

[igor_kavinski]

Leviathan? It was 2nd on the list posted above. AI says only two people survive.

No. There were no monsters/creatures in the one I remember. People came in shifts and fought the bad guy. He was trying to use the research station for nefarious purposes, like compromising national security or blowing something up. It came up in my mind coz it was one of the few bewildering things for me at that age of 11 or 12 where the research station was deep underwater but somehow the water would not flood it even though the point of entry was a hatch full of water.

 

[DigDog]

No. There were no monsters/creatures in the one I remember. People came in shifts and fought the bad guy. He was trying to use the research station for nefarious purposes, like compromising national security or blowing something up. It came up in my mind coz it was one of the few bewildering things for me at that age of 11 or 12 where the research station was deep underwater but somehow the water would not flood it even though the point of entry was a hatch full of water.

did this film have Samuel L Jackson in it ?

 

[igor_kavinski]

did this film have Samuel L Jackson in it ?

I don't remember any actor (you must be thinking of the one where the Big Bad Shark gulps him up). All I remember is that it was deep underneath the sea and younger version of me wondering, why doesn't it get flooded with water?

 

[igor_kavinski]

Fantasy World Generator

Generate an image in fantasy style.

deepai.org

Prompt: An underwater research station deep underneath the sea with a pool in the middle containing a hatch from where people enter it wearing scuba gear and there are terminals all around the pool where people sit and monitor different things and do their research.

Underground Cityscape Generator

Generate an underground city.

deepai.org

This is somewhat better but it's several stories high.



2nd attempt: An underwater research station deep underneath the sea with a pool in the middle containing a hatch from where people enter it wearing scuba gear and there are terminals all around the pool where people sit and monitor different things and do their research and there is only one level with maximum 10 feet height.



The 2nd one is still closer to what I have in mind.

 

[zinfamous]

Oh! I know!







It's Top Gun, isn't it?

 

[sdifox]

No coz the one I remember had no aliens. It was just good guys and maybe one bad guy? But I should watch The Abyss. May have watched it when I was very young or maybe somehow I never came across it.

Event Horizon (film) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[igor_kavinski]

Event Horizon (film) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

How did you translate deep sea underwater to outer space?

 

[zinfamous]

As you don't remember much of the Abyss,

I still think it's the Abyss...mainly because the environment and design of that film pretty solidly matches your description. Also, as I think you said you were young, and this was a some time ago, I'm going to go with you not really understanding all that was going on in that film at the time + fuzzy memory.

There is a bit of a rebellion scenario where they end up having to deal with one or more of their nutso crew members. It isn't a monster movie, but there is "a weird thing" going on. The crew is a mixture of scientists and engineers, doing deep sea research, mining, etc. They do sit around monitors in tight rooms and look at stuff. The water pool docking area for the submarine and individuals is the same as what you describe.

I think you should check it out soon. It is a fantastic film.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Anyway, in my searches, came across this: https://www.polsl.pl/roz6/wp-conten...arison-of-film-adaptations-and-the-book-1.pdf

Digdog may find it interesting.