Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • Users
  • Groups
Skins
  • Light
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (No Skin)
  • No Skin
Collapse

The New Coffee Room

  1. TNCR
  2. General Discussion
  3. Original Movies (not sequel, not reboot, not spin-off)

Original Movies (not sequel, not reboot, not spin-off)

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General Discussion
218 Posts 13 Posters 7.2k Views
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • AxtremusA Offline
    AxtremusA Offline
    Axtremus
    wrote on last edited by
    #150

    The Blackening (2023) directed by Tim Story

    A black slasher comedy; black as in the cast of main characters is almost all black. Among the jokes is when most of the main characters are black, who dies first? And at the end of the slashing ordeal, the survivors still don't want to call the police -- a play on #BLM, why risk being shot by cops after surviving a psychotic murderer? The survivors called the Fire Department instead, and they suffered some indignities from the FD anyway. Don't take the film too seriously, just laugh along and it's an entertaining enough movie.

    1 Reply Last reply
    • AxtremusA Offline
      AxtremusA Offline
      Axtremus
      wrote on last edited by
      #151

      Adipurush (2023) directed by Om Raut

      Hindi film based on mythology in the Ramayana. The plot is about the gods/demigods, some good, some bad, battling each other for one reason or another. Seems to me the producer/director really tried to make it an EPIC (which it is in the Ramayana) but somehow doesn't quite make it -- and this is a common theme in reason Bollywood fantasy "epics"; they try, sincerely, but somehow the CGI and cinematography are just not quite there. Still, a good enough production.

      1 Reply Last reply
      • AxtremusA Offline
        AxtremusA Offline
        Axtremus
        wrote on last edited by
        #152

        No Hard Feelings (2023) directed Gene Stupnitsky

        Comedy. Plot is around a crass, down-on-her-luck 32 year old woman being hired by a rich couple to date/seduce their 19 year old boy out of his low self-esteem shell. Most of the jokes are around the woman's advances failing in the face of the boy's social awkwardness. A bit surprised to see Jennifer Lawrence exhibiting full frontal nudity and fighting fully nude in the movie, not in a "sexy" way but in a Borat-like cringey and laughable way. No idea how the producer/director talked Lawrence into it, but she pulled it off admirably. Nothing ground breaking, but an entertaining movie nonetheless.

        1 Reply Last reply
        • AxtremusA Offline
          AxtremusA Offline
          Axtremus
          wrote on last edited by
          #153

          Asteroid City (2023) directed by Wes Anderson

          Very good movie. Not really in the visual style I like (rather "retro," most of the set looks like a stage for a play rather than a movie), but I enjoyed the movie. It's a complex movie, with play inside play, multiple parallel plots, etc. So, being entertained aside, it keeps the brain engaged. Direction and acting are all top notched. If you feel like watching something "not stupid" or "not braindead," this is a good one to watch.

          1 Reply Last reply
          • AxtremusA Offline
            AxtremusA Offline
            Axtremus
            wrote on last edited by
            #154

            Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) directed by Kirk DeMicco

            A DreamWorks animation that "flip the script" somewhat by make the krakens "good" and the mermaids "bad" to start. Has the usual cartoon-for-kids morals about accepting yourself and the importance of family and such. I get the sense that the target audience are "girls" rather than "children" in general. Certainly has that DreamWorks quality and is a good production. Good family movie to watch with kids.

            1 Reply Last reply
            • AxtremusA Offline
              AxtremusA Offline
              Axtremus
              wrote on last edited by Axtremus
              #155

              Joy Ride (2023) directed by Adele Lim

              Asian-American comedy, second generation, post-Crazy Rich Asians. A lot of self-awareness for being second generation Asian-Americans. The plot revolves around an Asian young woman who was adopted by a white couple embarking on a journey to China to look for her birth mother, then ended up finding out that her mother is actually Korean. Of course she has a cast of wacky friends who tag along. Many crass, cringey, contrived jokes. Not the best in the genre, unfortunately.

              1 Reply Last reply
              • AxtremusA Offline
                AxtremusA Offline
                Axtremus
                wrote on last edited by
                #156

                Shortcomings (2023) directed by Randall Park

                Asian-American drama. The movie centers around a young Asian-American man with innate character flaws. He wants to be a great filmmaker, yet he could not help making decisions that screw up his relationships and his own life. In many ways, that character reminds me of Adam Sandler's character in Uncut Gems (2019) -- well-intentioned, but cannot help his self-destruction turns after turns.

                1 Reply Last reply
                • AxtremusA Offline
                  AxtremusA Offline
                  Axtremus
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #157

                  Theater Camp (2023) directed by Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman

                  Basically a musical-comedy whose plot is about a bunch of misfit summer theater campers putting up a show to save their beloved theater camp from foreclosure. Though formulaic in many ways, it's entertaining enough as a musical-comedy. And of course there is that "final number" that the protagonist struggled to compose that comes together beautifully at the end to save the show -- I don't really think the song/music is all that remarkable, but ultimately find the lyrics moving.

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  • AxtremusA Offline
                    AxtremusA Offline
                    Axtremus
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #158

                    Jules (2023) directed by Marc Turtletaub

                    Sci-fi/drama, ET for old people. The story is about some senior citizens in a small town finding then befriending an extra-terrestrial who crash landed in someone's backyard. The senior citizens have their quirks and the ET performed a few miracles. No big action, nothing iconic like the Spielberg ET riding a bike that flies across the moon. Still, a nice movie with some subtleties.

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    • AxtremusA Offline
                      AxtremusA Offline
                      Axtremus
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #159

                      Blue Beetle (2023) directed by Ángel Manuel Soto

                      Original story for the Blue Beetle superhero from the D.C. comics. Nice enough as a superhero movie, probably no nicer than, say, Shazam or Black Adam in my estimation. The protagonist is Latino and there is an emphasis on the importance of family. Not sure if there is a secret rule in Hollywood that says if your protagonist is Latino, then somehow "family" takes on outsized importance. Too lazy to research if the first/original Blue Beetle in D.C. comics is indeed Latino.

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      • AxtremusA Offline
                        AxtremusA Offline
                        Axtremus
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #160

                        Strays (2023) directed by Josh Greenbaum

                        Dog movie. A ragtag team of wacko, quirky, foul-mouthed cursing dogs finding their way home. There are running jokes and near the end a scene about a dog "biting [a human's] dick off." Most jokes are rather crass. Watch if you like to see/hear dogs curse in English.

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        • AxtremusA Offline
                          AxtremusA Offline
                          Axtremus
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #161

                          Last Voyage of Demeter (2023) directed by André Øvredal

                          Story about the ship "Demeter" that transported Dracula's coffin from Bulgaria to London. Most of the movie is about the crew slowly getting killed on the ship. As a production it's actually quite polished, just that it does not really stand out among the many Dracula movies that are already out there. If you really want to kill a couple of hours with yet another Dracula movie, this is not a bad choice. :man-shrugging:

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          • AxtremusA Offline
                            AxtremusA Offline
                            Axtremus
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #162

                            Landscape with Invisible Hand (2023) directed by Cory Finley

                            Aliens, the Vuvv, have taken over Earth. The movie is about how the surviving humans live under their Vuvv overlord. Lots of commentaries about social hierarchy, economic inequity, the oppressors vs. the oppressed, the occupiers vs. the occupied, propaganda/whitewashing by the victor, etc. The aliens look weird, even a little bit gross, and "talks" even weirder, which is all good -- there is no lack of "cute" or "scary" or "mysterious" aliens in movies, but this movie managed to adhere to the book and thus make the Vuvv stand-out among other aliens in movies. This is not a brain-dead movie, if you are willing to think, it gives you things to think about. Recommended.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            • AxtremusA Offline
                              AxtremusA Offline
                              Axtremus
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #163

                              Bottoms (2023) directed by Emma Seligman

                              Satirical teen comedy. A couple of misfits take advantage of rumors that they came out of "juvie" and start a "fight club" at school. Has your usual cast of high school misfits. And this being 2023 the cast are mostly female with an increased quotient of LGBTQ+ characters. Pretty violent/bloody by satirical teen comedy standard.

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              • AxtremusA Offline
                                AxtremusA Offline
                                Axtremus
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #164

                                Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023) directed by Karan Johar

                                Punjabi romantic comedy. The two protagonists have very different education background and very different family customs. The movie then is mostly about the two protagonists and their families learning about the quirks of and finally accepting each other. Save the Indian/Punjabi cultural elements, this is a fairly formulaic movie. Doesn't mean it's not entertaining, though.

                                jon-nycJ 1 Reply Last reply
                                • AxtremusA Offline
                                  AxtremusA Offline
                                  Axtremus
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #165

                                  Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose (2023) directed by Adam Sigal

                                  British comedy, dark. An investigator is invited to investigate the claim that there is a talking mongoose in some country estate. Confusion and mysteries ensues. Not that there is any specific thing that is bad about this movie, just that the overall result is not all that remarkable.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  • AxtremusA Offline
                                    AxtremusA Offline
                                    Axtremus
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #166

                                    Jawan (2023) directed by Atlee

                                    Hindi action movie. Story about a vigilante pulling off various "terrorist" plots to expose corrupt government officials and force the Indian government to do the right things. Got hi-tech gadgets, explosions, epic fights, etc. Like many recent Indian films, this one also has its nationalistic moments. Despite its protest against government corruption and against socio-economic inequity in India, it ultimately promotes pro-India nationalism. Overall a good production.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    • AxtremusA Offline
                                      AxtremusA Offline
                                      Axtremus
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #167

                                      Outlaw Johnny Black (2023) directed by Michael Jai White

                                      Think of it as a Western, where the hero cowboy and most of the main characters are black. It has many trappings of the typical Western. But the subplot about the black pastor is an inspiring master stroke, something that elevates the film above being merely a Western that merely switched skin colors. Not all straight, not all comedy, not all satirical. This is a film with complexity. Recommended.

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      • AxtremusA Axtremus

                                        Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023) directed by Karan Johar

                                        Punjabi romantic comedy. The two protagonists have very different education background and very different family customs. The movie then is mostly about the two protagonists and their families learning about the quirks of and finally accepting each other. Save the Indian/Punjabi cultural elements, this is a fairly formulaic movie. Doesn't mean it's not entertaining, though.

                                        jon-nycJ Online
                                        jon-nycJ Online
                                        jon-nyc
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #168

                                        @Axtremus said in Original Movies (not sequel, not reboot, not spin-off):

                                        Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023) directed by Karan Johar

                                        Punjabi romantic comedy. The two protagonists have very different education background and very different family customs. The movie then is mostly about the two protagonists and their families learning about the quirks of and finally accepting each other. Save the Indian/Punjabi cultural elements, this is a fairly formulaic movie. Doesn't mean it's not entertaining, though.

                                        Bollywood canned plot #1

                                        Only non-witches get due process.

                                        • Cotton Mather, Salem Massachusetts, 1692
                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        • AxtremusA Axtremus

                                          @George-K said in Original Movies (not sequel, not reboot, not spin-off):

                                          @Axtremus in four hours you posted about a dozen links. Have you watched any/all of these movies?

                                          Yes, I have watched all of the movies I write about in this thread.

                                          I have said this before: in this thread I review only movies I have watched.

                                          So far limited to movies I have watched in theaters. Easier to track those using ticket stubs (be they physical or electronic stubs). Every few weeks (more like every few months lately) I go through my ticket stubs and write about what have made lasting impressions (e.g., things or aspects that are “still memorable” after I let the ticket stubs sit for weeks/months). Internet search is used only to (1) check if a movie is indeed “original”, (2) verify the release year and get the names of directors because I figure those are information I would need to lookup these movies in the future if I ever want to revisit certain movies.

                                          George KG Offline
                                          George KG Offline
                                          George K
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #169

                                          @Axtremus said in Original Movies (not sequel, not reboot, not spin-off):

                                          Yes, I have watched all of the movies I write about in this thread.

                                          I have said this before: in this thread I review only movies I have watched.

                                          So far limited to movies I have watched in theaters.

                                          I was curious, and lazy.

                                          (my numbers might be slightly off).

                                          In 2023 you left a total of 54 movie reviews. 27 of these films were released in 2022, and 27 in 2023.

                                          You've been to the theater 54 times in 2023 (assuming you saw these movies in 2023. That's about once a week that you go to the movies - unless there are double features.

                                          This year, you've left 19 reviews. I would guess some of those were viewed last year, however.

                                          "Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08

                                          The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.

                                          AxtremusA 1 Reply Last reply
                                          Reply
                                          • Reply as topic
                                          Log in to reply
                                          • Oldest to Newest
                                          • Newest to Oldest
                                          • Most Votes


                                          • Login

                                          • Don't have an account? Register

                                          • Login or register to search.
                                          • First post
                                            Last post
                                          0
                                          • Categories
                                          • Recent
                                          • Tags
                                          • Popular
                                          • Users
                                          • Groups