list/discuss/rate - your recently watched movies

^ Currently 97% on Rotten Tormatoes. BTW would it do any harm to put some synopsis up and a few words??!

^ that should be my weekend film viewing sorted. ''From the makers of Barbarian'', a film I enjoyed.

Corner Office (2022) - Although branded as a dark comedy, this peculiar take on corporate office culture is more of a quirky drama. Jon Hamm is the star and performs the role of new employee Orson, working at The Authority. Nice acting job on this, especially the first-person narration that is used throughout. Alienation is a main theme and it grows considerably when Orson discovers a room that he's told doesn't exist. I won't mention any spoilers, but there's a lot more going on here and I think it was designed this way to allow for audience interpretation. Don't expect anything like "The Office" and although it has similarities with Office Space, it's a much darker offering. It was based on the short story The Room by Jonas Karlsson (which I have not read). Also stars Christopher Heyerdahl (Stargate Atlantis). 8/10

Edited by progaardvark - February 28 2025 at 14:51

Becoming Led Zeppelin - I don't often go to Imax unless it's for something I REALLY wanna see.  A documentary on my favorite band of all time is just what it takes, especially since the band wa sextremely weary of documentaries before.  So this gave me some of what I've wanted for a long time: sitting down with the bandmates and hearing about everything they did before they formed the band, including that unreleased interview footage with Bonham!  In a spiritual way, that was the highlight.  Some of it was highly entertaining and made me wish I was there back then to see it.  And of course, for a guy who's heard a good deal of Zep bootlegs like Royal Albert Hall, Blueberry Hill, Ottawa Sunshine and Pure Blues, seeing the old concerts and the formation of such tropes as the violin solos in live renditions of Dazed and Confused.  There were a couple too many songs by the end when this was supposed to be a documentary, but overall, this was the documentary I've wanted for years.  And since it only covered the first two albums, I really want a sequel covering III, IV and Houses.  90/100

Infinitum: Subject Unknown (2021) - A rather quirky, weird film where a woman is trapped in a parallel universe and seems to be experiencing time loops or some sort of quantum thingamajig going on where she is forced to find a way to alter her reality. The star of the film is Tori Butler-Hart who gives a commendable performance. Also features Ian McKellen and Conleth Hill, who both play very minor rolls as professors giving the "science" behind the experiment. This entire film was apparently shot on an iPhone during the UK's lockdown during the pandemic. Given the circumstances, I'm impressed with the results. I feel like some of the parts could have been fleshed out a bit better, but still worthy of an 8/10.

Checked out The Dirt again.  True, it's a generic biopic about excess debauchery.  BUT, there's some surprisingly effective bits of humor in this one, like a Jackass movie.  And of course, these four lesser-known actors (counting MGK as acting' not his typical forte) are freakishly good at just being "the guys," not "the band," "the GUYS."  I mean, they're good solo, but get them into a room together, and the sparks are hotter than their pyromaniacal stage effects.  And of course, Webber is actually singing in this movie, and it's practically impossible for me to tell him apart from the actual Vince.

The Circle (2017) - How much social media is too much? Should we let it control every aspect of our lives? What if everything we did was public? What if anyone in the world could track you down when you want to be left alone? These are some of the questions this film attempts to answer, kind of in a haphazard way. We are ultimately left with no real conclusion but apparently there are pros and cons for all of these questions according to this film. Starring Tom Hanks, Emma Watson, Patton Oswalt, and a nice surprise seeing Karen Gillan (of Doctor Who fame). It's a nice cast and there are some really great acting moments throughout. The storyline I think is trying to bite off more than it can chew. At moments the film seems rushed, and at others it drags. To be honest, I'm not sure what it needs to give it a higher rating than the 6/10 I'm giving it. Still, it wasn't a waste of my time either.

Edited by progaardvark - March 14 2025 at 06:43

Nocebo 2022

Volition (2019) - This one was a surprise. Basically it's about a guy named Jimmy that has clairvoyant abilities allowing him to see fragments of his near future. So, he gets himself involved in some deal over stolen diamonds and uses his abilities to hopefully get himself a nice chunk of money from the shady characters involved. The deal goes bad and then the whole movie goes off the rails involving multiple time travel events in order to save a woman he has recently fallen for. This is not the same nor as good as Predestination, but has very similar vibes. A head-scratcher for sure and probably a paradox or two. Worthy of 8.5/10, mostly for keeping the plot in line with the twisted timelines.