What Movies Did You Watch in December 2023?

Godzilla Minus One - I love Godzilla movies; this one was very different. It was a brilliant human story with the occasional death and destruction from the monster - no kind savior of the world here, but a savage destroyer. It is a wonderful film that has left many moviegoers in tears. From Toho. Rotten Tomatoes ratings of 98% from both critics and audience.

One aspect that I really enjoyed is that this film is counter-Hollywood in that ( I'm going to sound sexist here, but who cares?) it is male-centered and takes up the theme of men regaining their honor and defending their family and ancestors. There is no female protagonist who, all of a sudden, has all of the answers and leads the men like Joan of Arc, as we see in countless Hollywood films.

 
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tom 48 said:
Godzilla Minus One - I love Godzilla movies; this one was very different. It was a brilliant human story with the occasional death and destruction from the monster - no kind savior of the world here, but a savage destroyer. It is a wonderful film that has left many moviegoers in tears. From Toho. Rotten Tomatoes ratings of 98% from both critics and audience.

One aspect that I really enjoyed is that this film is counter-Hollywood in that ( I'm going to sound sexist here, but who cares?) it is male-centered and takes up the theme of men regaining their honor and defending their family and ancestors. There is no female protagonist who, all of a sudden, has all of the answers and leads the men like Joan of Arc, as we see in countless Hollywood films.

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Seems like Toho reinvents the wheel on Godzilla over and over again. They just did Shin Godzilla in 2016 with the title character as villain.
 
tom 48 said:
He certainly is no hero saving the world in this one; he's terrifying.
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As I said in my review earlier, I think any "old school" Godzilla fans will enjoy this movie. And I loved the impending doom music as well, just like they played when I was little.
 
mcm.1019 said:
As I said in my review earlier, I think any "old school" Godzilla fans will enjoy this movie. And I loved the impending doom music as well, just like they played when I was little.
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The music was one of the best parts of the film.

This film harkens back to the original 1954 version, and probably a few other previous Godzilla movies, in a few different ways, but perhaps most notably by incorporating the classic original score from the 1954 film. The film also has its own take on the memorable train sequence from the original film.
 
The Retirement Plan (2023) ... 4.0/8

LOL, ok, it is an action comedy I guess but the funniest thing was Nick Cage being a bad-a** .... Go Grandpa!
 
A Christmas Story (1983)

I don't really get into this that much. Years ago, my grandmother said about the mom, "NOBODY had hair like that back then."

4.5/8
 
Rebel Moon: 4.25/8

Sadly the bad reviews this is getting are mostly justified. I don’t have a huge issue with the plot like the critics, but for me the issue was the cast. Sofia Boutella is a great stunt actress, but she’s not a leading lady. She didn’t come close to bringing any charismas to the main character that it needed. The second main character was a dull nobody. Charlie Humnam is easily the most interesting character in the movie but he does t show up until 45 minutes in. Djimon Hounsou is a great actor with an interesting character backstory, but is completely wasted. Ed Skrein is fine as the villain, but for some reason he never really appeals to me as actor. He was the villain in Deadpool too and thought he was just ok in that as well.

The story was good enough, but nothing original. Hopefully part two is better in April.

Available on Netflix.

 
Spartacus1987 said:
I did not. That is crazy!
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I came across it a few years ago and while watching it I was thinking "this is a sadistic version of Home Alone". I later found out that it came out years before Home Alone......// I was like OK, this is just like Hunger Games ripping off Battle Royale!!!
 
Christmas All Over Again (2016) - 4/4 (barely)

It's not Christmas without a "Groundhog Day" remake.

Eddie, a "typical" freshman teen, wakes up Christmas morning to find there are no presents under the tree. He blames several people for ruining his Christmas. The next morning he wakes up, and it's still Christmas Day with no presents. His mood gets worse, and the cycle repeats. There's a bit more to it, but you get the idea.

Odd little independent flick. The cinematography is great. But the whole premise isn't grounded in a plausible reality, the way Groundhog Day was. The kid lives in a town where everything seems to be open for business on Dec 25 - instead of being home eating family dinners or outside playing with their toys, all of the high-schoolers are hanging out at the coffeeshop diner, sipping their frappucinos like it's a regular school day. As a result the viewer doesn't get emotionally invested in the character or the plot. Instead you just say "well, this is weird" without any emotion. Although trite, the conclusion (and Eddie's "redemption") is just acceptable enough to earn an "okay".

Sean Patrick Fox is the irritating swag-obsessed adolescent. Amber (Montana) Frank plays the beautiful upperclassman Eddie tries to woo. Joey Lawrence is the mysterious proprietor of magical sneaker store who seems to know why Eddie is in the mess he's in.
 
Slotherhouse (2023)

Comedy Horror: A killer sloth at a sorority house. This one was way over the top as the sloth was able to go on the internet, drive a car, hide bodies etc..... and I know they were going for stupidity but what was missing here was no over the top gore or nudity. Not much for me to like with this one ... 2.0/8
 
The Iron Claw- 6.25/8. Pretty brutal biographical story, but the entire cast is solid. Zac Effron is a million miles away from HS musical at this point, he can be a legit lead in a drama.
 
Omar said:
The Iron Claw- 6.25/8. Pretty brutal biographical story, but the entire cast is solid. Zac Effron is a million miles away from HS musical at this point, he can be a legit lead in a drama.
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Growing in a house with 3 brothers that were all wrestling all the time I want to see this, but I can’t justify the price of going to the theater anymore. Can’t wait for it to come out on streaming.
 
JackEd said:
Growing in a house with 3 brothers that were all wrestling all the time I want to see this, but I can’t justify the price of going to the theater anymore. Can’t wait for it to come out on streaming.
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I watched it on a torrent site
 
Elf (2003)

Once you get past yet another Will Ferrell acts like a three year old schtick, and that's a big ask, this one hits its mark.

5.1/8
 
Batman Returns (1992) - 9/10

Just an awesome movie. Danny Elfman score is better in this movie than the first one. Darkest Batman movie that has been made still to this day.
 
Organ Trail (2023) ... 2.5/8

this one popped up as a straight horror on paramount+ but surprise surprise it is not. Waste of my time watching a bad movie and I will no longer trust Paramount+ .....
 
Pacific Rim (2013)

Giant mechs vs giant alien monsters directed by Guillermo del Toro. If you have a boy between the ages of 5 and 12, they'll love this as long as you're prepared for a little bad language. The action and VFX are outstanding... this is now 10 years old and all of the CG still looks brand new. Are we at peak CGI capability now? Characters are a mixed bag... too much "so you think you're tough" dialog bogs down the first half. Charlie Day's manic scientist character as well as Ron Perlman's eccentric black market dealer are great fun and do a lot to make up for it. Major critique - there's a crazy amount of plot elements borrowed/stolen from "Independence Day".

5.4/8
 
Killers of the Flower Moon - 4/8

I'm a big Scorsese fan but he swung and missed here on several levels. This movie is LONG and could be condensed. They have this drumbeat music for most of the movie which annoys. And I know he, like many directors, falls in love with certain actors but I'm unsure DeNiro and DiCaprio were the best choices here. They then had DiCaprio wear a fake nose and dental implants altering his appearance in a bad way. The end was very Goodfellasesque.
 
PantherProud said:
Leave the World Behind: 5.5/8


Enjoyed this. Gave me “The Happening” vibes (no the plants didn’t do it) at times, but good.

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I came here to see other opinions on this. We watched it last night - agree it is good - I'd give it 6 or 6.5/8. Suspenseful and thought-provoking. Great cast. I wanted a little more story at the end...
 
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