MADTOWN - Milo Ventimiglia, Rachel Melvin, Amanda Aday, John Billingsley, Bonita Friedericy. Milo gets a job at a family owned restaurant where he slowly becomes friends with his co-workers. He also wants to be a stand-up comic along the lines of Lenny Bruce. He also has a sister doing 20 years for murdering their brutal parents (or was it him?). She finally gets paroled and he finally gets to do a stand-up routine (which wasn't even remotely funny) and things come to head with his sister. For me, almost 2 hrs of total boredom which came close to getting the kybosh, a 1 on the Moizmeter.

BIRD BOX - Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, John Malkovich, Jackie Weaver.
A world-wide epidemic causes mass suicides via eyesight? Sandra finds refuge in big house with other survivors but all light from outside must be blocked. 5 years passes and only ones left are Sandra and her 2 little kids. They must travel blind-folded down this river to some sanctuary but must navigate treacherous rapids (why didn't they just walk around them?) Oh well, soon the birds will be singing getting a generous 2 on the Moizmeter. Still waiting to see Emily Blunt's movie where it isn't seeing but hearing.

STAR BLAZERS: SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO 2202: Warriors of Love. Been a huge fan of the series since I saw the dubbed version in 1979. The second series does more updating of the alien races but something is missing and the characterization is getting lost in teary schmaltz and a parade of the same war movie tropes.

And didn't Macross do the whole love thing with aliens like a million years ago? (I actually have the dubbed version they did in Australia in the early 1980s and it's so fun catching the accents– but horrible what they did with butchering the story)

But then I'm only halfway through the Yamato series so I am optimistic that it could pull it out later.

ASH VS. EVIL DEAD: Oh how I do love thee. Fun, blood, gore and over the top. The other characters are great foils to Ash and I am disappointed there will be no fourth season. It would be nice for the duaghter and two sidekicks to go on because teen angst is kept to the minimum and they're funny unlike Buffy and Company from the series (Which I have to revisit) I like silly in my supernatural series and this has it in abundance.

LUPIN III: I downloaded all the iterations exceot the most recent with Fujiko Mine ( could only find it in Italian) So delightfully silly. Even watching the movies and it's cool to see so many different animators and directors take their turns at the material including Miyazaki. Lupin's Greatest Heists (IIRC done by Miyazaki under a pseudonym) has so many bits from his later movies it's almost like a little self tribute before the he did his original stories – or a little foretaste of what was to come.

Let's see what ideas can I steal– gender bender with Fujiko and Lupin with Belle as the master thief with her two lady sidekicks and the mysterious To Catch a Thief kind of guy Harrison Ford, Robert Mitchum or Clark Gable, or Sean Connery? Sean Bean? (Can't do Cary Grant) All of them vying for her hand in little cameos? Paul Newman even? A thief version of What a Way to Go?

WHAT STILL REMAINS - Lulu Antariksa, Colin O'Donoghue, Mimi Rogers, Dohn Norwood, Jeff Kober. After another, oh no, Pocky-Lips, Lulu is all alone until Colin drops by, she slowly accepts his friendship and he takes her to his compound where there is safety from the baddies. Turns out they're all a bunch of religious nutbars incl. Colin. The baddies get in and kill everyone and Lulu escapes to find the promised land. A 2 1/2 on the Moizmeter.

WILDLING - Bel Powley, Collin Kelly-Sordelet, Liv Tyler, Brad Dourif. Raised in a locked room since birth Bel is tended by daddy? Brad. After he tries to kill himself Bel is rescued by cop Liv and she has to learn to live on the outside world altho she feels kinda weird and starts growing lotsa hair. What the heck is a wildling she wonders and so do I. A generous 2 on the Moizmeter.

MS. J CONTEMPLATES - Kit Chan, Bobby Tonelli. Kit is a radio talk-line host and a crazy caller says he will kill either of 2 people but she must decide which one. Soon a body is discovered murdered. Then another call to Kit and another choice must be made. Another 2 bodies found. Finally Kit remembers an incident 20 years ago and she knows who caller is. Another choice, her kids or she must die. We see her kids get away but we see her washing her hair and then end credits??? WTF???? Then after credits roll we see a brief scene with a gloved hand, a black-leather studded watch and I haven't the foggiest what that meant. Anyone know? A 2 1/2 on the Moizmeter.

I AM VENGEANCE - Stu Bennett. Too stupid for words but desperate I toughed it out getting a 1- on the Moizmeter.

A QUIET PLACE - Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe.
Horrifying aliens have invaded entire planet, they can't see but kill anything that makes a sound. Emily and John live on a farm, one son was killed last year and of 2 remaining kids, Millie is totally deaf. Which is OK as all family communication is via sign language. John tries to make her a hearing aid but nothing works. Emily is preggers and only days from birthing. Whoa, that's gonna be tricky baby. Do these aliens have a weakness? Bullets just bounce off them. Millie might have the answer, watch and you'll find out, an Emily inspired 4 on the Moizmeter.

SHEPHERDS AND BUTCHERS - Steve Coogan, Andrea Riseborough, Garion Dowds, Robert Hobbs, Marcel van Heerden. Young prison guard (Garion) goes beserk and kills 7 strangers for no apparent reason in 1987 Pretoria, South Africa. Steve is assigned to defend him altho there doesn't seem to be any defense other than temporary insanity, maybe caused by him taking part in 164 executions by hanging in the last year. (ya think so maybe?) Some of the executions are shown in all their brutal detail. Andrea (be still my heart) is the prosecutor. Steve pleads for Garion's mental state while Andrea concentrates on the basic facts of the 7 murders. Who will win? Note: Capital punishment has since been abolished in SA. A 4 on the Moizmeter.

The Land Before Time.

I wanted to change it, but then Ducky's part came up. Sometimes a ton of knowledge can be a bad thing. :(

Dick Figures: The Movie.

Not only did it fix the dent from the previous film, but I think we may have found a successor to The Demented Cartoon Movie. (or at least the “I feel” to TDCM's “I think”)

Favourite line: “No one kills a mime in MY town.”

THE HURRICANE HEIST - Maggie Grace, Toby Kebbell, Ryan Kwanten, Ralph Ineson, Ben Cross. If you love 3D and non-stop action scenes (that make very little sense), this one's for you. To this viewer, beyond stupid, a 1 minus on the Moizmeter.

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES - Liam Neeson, David Harbour, Adam David Thompson, Boyd Holbrook, Dan Stevens. Ex-cop Liam is hired by drug kingpin to find low-lifes who kidnapped his wife, took ransom, and still killed her.
Then they kidnap a young daughter of another drug lord and Liam negotiates her release whilst she's still living and Liam battles it out with bad guys. OK watch getting a 2 1/2 on the Moizmeter.

Hitchcock.

It was good. This is the third time I've seen a biographical take on a filmmaker. First was Ed Wood by Tim Burton, then The Disaster Artist by James Franco (only Hitchcock was more about an objectively good director). Yeah it was kinda routine, but having seen Psycho, it packed a unique punch with the pseudo inclusion of Ed Gein. Overall I found it to check out.

My Hero Academia, episode 11.

The first nine episodes were fairly standard Golden age of superhero stuff before it brings out its inner Naruto on us in episode 10.

Here it just finally made me stop frantically repeating “thisisn'tworsethanWatchmenthisisn'tworsethanWatchmenthisisn'tworsethanWatchmenthisisn'tworsethanWatchmenthisisn'tworsethanWatchmenthisisn'tworsethanWatchmen” to myself. XP

LOVING PABLO (also ESCOBAR) - Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Peter Sarsgaard, Julieth Restrepo. We join the coke king (Javier) in 1981 where his cartel is just discovering the lucrative market in the USA. Altho he is married he begins torrid affair with Penelope, a TV reporter. For the next 10 years he becomes one of the richest men in the world, but not without making a lot of enemies. Sometimes hard to understand the muted conversations, in English but with Spanish accents. All that money but he is killed by police on a rooftop the day after his 44th birthday. A hard-to-hear 2 1/2 on the Moizmeter.

Titans. New DC show about the side kicks to major characters… It's terrible. Didn't even finish the 1st episode.

Genejoke wrote:
Titans. New DC show about the side kicks to major characters… It's terrible. Didn't even finish the 1st episode.

B-but its based off the true story!

THE 12TH MAN - Thomas Gullestad, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Marie Blokhus, Mads Sjogard Pettersen. In 1943 12 Norwegian saboteurs sent to destroy German military sites in Norway. I think they accomplished some of task with parts shown in flashbacks but I might have missed something. Had to watch with sub-titles as mostly Norwegian or German language. German's kill 11 but a 12th man (Gullestad) gets away and Fukenfuher Rhys Meyers spares no expense trying to capture him. Many Norwegians help Gullestad's escape at great risk to their lives. Freezing snow, gangrene add to 12th man's months long trek to reach neutral Sweden. Based on true story, and a 3 1/2 on the Moizmeter.

Genejoke wrote:
Titans. New DC show about the side kicks to major characters… It's terrible. Didn't even finish the 1st episode.

Ah, I was actually thinking of watching it. The screenshot on Netflix looked kind of cool. I don't know those characters though (Robin aside), so if it's not good, I'll pass.


The Orville season 2 started a couple weeks ago - I'm enjoying that! The comedy has been dialed back a lot, and what humor they do have is actually making me laugh. I still see some lapses in logic sometimes, and in a way I just don't buy into the reality of it - but I like it! I like most of the characters, and I think they've captured the right tone.

My favorite episode last year was the ‘Krill’ episode, and I think the new one is a bit of a sequel to that. A Trek fan, especially of TNG or Voyager, would probably enjoy this show!

CLOSE - Noomi Rapace, Sophie Nelisse, Indira Varma. Here is a classic example of the tobacco co.s paying a star and producers a big hunk of $$$ to have Noomi smokin' like a furnace constantly thru out movie. There is absolutely no reason her character needs to do this, and what a horrible example to set for young females. Add to that, I think movie was made up as it went along as plot was beyond stupid. A 1/2 on the Moizmeter.

THE ICEMAN - Michael Shannon, Winona Ryder, Chris Evans, Ray Liotta, Robert Davi. Based on true story. Michael plays mob hit-man Richard Kuklinski, who reportedly murdered over 100 people, either for money or pleasure. Winona is his wife, who had no idea what her husband did for a living. Movie portrays him as a loving family man altho the real Kuklinski wasn't quite so loving. Finally arrested in a sting trying to purchase cyanide and spent rest of his life in prison, never saw his family again. Good performance from Shannon, getting a 3 1/2 on the Mob-O-Meter.

GOTTI - John Travolta, Spencer Rocco Lofranco, Kelly Preston, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Stacy Keach, Chris Mulkey. Covers career of mob boss Gotti over many years. Travolta doesn't remotely look like him even with all the wigs, 5 inches taller, and one sneering facial expression. Film jumps all over and spends way too much time with the son (Spencer). All that money and power and dead at 61. A 2 on the Mob-O-Meter.

OUIJA: ORIGIN OF STUPIDITY - Annalise Basso, Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson, Henry Thomas. Started OK but quickly sunk down the dumpster. Beyond stupid, but I toughed it out hoping for a miracle, notta. A 1- on the Moizmeter.

HIDDEN - Andrea (be still my heart) Riseborough, Alexander Skarsgard, Emily Alyn Lind. Family, dad, mom and young daughter, take refuge in a fallout shelter to avoid air-born virus that turns folks into monsters. They live on canned food & a water pump. They can hear the “breathers” lurking above looking for new prey but entry hole is kept chain locked and is camouflaged. A fire gives them away and the breathers get in, yikes! Well done with a surprise twist ending, an Andrea inspired 4 on the Moizmeter.(forgot to add filmed at Cypress Bowl Park just north of Vancouver, Andrea must've misplaced my phone number, blast!)

IO - Margaret Qualley, Anthony Mackie, Danny Huston. A “pocky-lips” has rendered Earth unlivable and the last shuttle to Jupiter's moon IO leaves in a few days. Margaret lives at her father's (Danny) compound and is determined to survive but along comes Anthony who persuades her to leave. He wanted to see Danny but finds out he's dead, needs helium for his flying balloon so they can leave, but Margaret is too fascinated by a painting in the museum and decides not to go. Will she survive? A 2 on the Moizmeter.

Roma (2018)

…that….was amazing.

It was beautifully shot, mature, heavy on mise en scene, extremely yet impressively dramatic, and quirky when it needs to be.

I might be scarred for life, but I haven't felt this way since I saw “The Hurt Locker”, and I saw that movie in friggin' Mexico!

Watch it, don't watch it, it is good cinema.

The Hatton Garden Job
Hatton Garden

Hand Maidens Tale - a crossdressers wet dream

VELVET BUZZSAW - Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Toni Collette, Zawe Ashton, Natalie Dyer, John Malkovich. A bunch of snobby art intellectuals discover a mess of painting masterpieces? by a total unknown artist who died. Everyone wants a piece of the $$$ action. Soon they all die horrible deaths. Got dumber as it went, somehow I toughed it out getting 1- on the Moizmeter.

Having abandoned Hand maidens - Im now on True detective - I anticipate abandoning that if nobody kills the cast and perhaps start Tin Star. Though I thought Tim Roth was absurd in the series ‘Lie to me’ Theres a similar detective on Netflix shose shtick is actually smelling clues, I think. Thats where ‘lie to me’ went wrong in my humble. Instead of discecting manners and ticks and tells he should have been fishing the laundry basket for clues !.

MALICIOUS - Bojana Novakovic, Josh Stewart, Delroy Lindo, Melissa Bolona, Ben VanderMey. Math prof moves into campus home with pregnant wife, who's sister has left them a housewarming gift, an empty box. Once opened it releases terrible entity that wants to kill anyone connected to whoever opened it. Only way to get it back in box is to kill that person. Yup, for sure, and a 1 1/2 on the Moizmeter.

BEYOND WHITE SPACE (corrected title Beyond Stupid) - Holt McCallany, Zulay Henao, Dave Sheridan, Mike Genovese, Jocko Sims. 150 years from now huge advancements in space travel sees us travelling hundreds of times faster than light speed across galaxy…fishing? (Scientists agree nothing moves faster than light). Our gang's ship (with built-in artificial gravity)is attacked by space pirates and even worse, a huge dragon! Director/writers apparently unaware there is no sound in space yet we hear bangs and crashes galore and the dragon growling! A 1/2 on the Moizmeter.