I’ll start: “Happy Death Day”
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is always a good mention.
It’s a fun and very accessible movie.
I don’t rewatch movies unless its been a few years and I really enjoyed.
Ive provably watched that movie 10x by now. Jarnathan would know what I’m saying if he were here.
This movie took me completely by surprise by how good it was. I feel like you could tell everyone involved had experience playing TTRPGs, from the director, to the writer(s), all the way down to the catering crew!
Although the interviews with the cast are hilarious just because Hugh Grant doesn’t have a single clue about DnD but also couldn’t give a single fuck about it.
Should he need to? He’s an actor. He can pretend to know what he is doing.
No, of course not. But it’s funny how he openly admits to his ignorance. He still gives a great performance and was obviously very well liked by the rest of the cast.
Absolutely loved that movie. It’s mixture of slapstick humor and melodrama are a perfect representation of actual D&D.
It had a lot of heart and you could almost “feel” the good/bad dice rolls happening.
The Paladin had me in stitches
I loved the 5 questions.
And the 80s Dungeons and Dragons movie is… well, it has Tim Curry.
One of the best movies of the year for me, and I was expecting hot garbage.
Good call! Wife and I watched that one on a whim, thinking it would be a good “bad” movie to watch while having a few drinks and were pleasantly surprised!
You probably need be at least familiar with RPG/fantasy tropes to fully enjoy it, but it definitely felt like it came from a place of love and self-awareness, rather than the cynical cash-grab I was expecting.
I just went and watched it for the first time because of this message. FANTASTIC movie! Excellent recommendation!
Originally, Pirates of the Caribbean. A movie made because of a Disney ride seemed like a stupid idea.
I just think of it as a live action Monkey Island.
Does that actually work? I have only played the 1st 20 minutes of Monkey Island lol
They have a lot of similarities.
According to wikipedia, Monkey Island was inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and Pirates of the Caribbean was rumored to be based on a cancelled script for a Monkey Island movie.
Johnny Depp fucking carries that franchise.
He nailed Jack sparrow so damn hard I can’t picture anyone else in that role. It sets the pace of the movie too.
He not only nailed it so hard no one else can play the role, he nailed it so hard he became synonymous with the role.
I remember people thinking he was crazy when he first stepped into the role and was swaying and shit.
The balls it took to fully immerse yourself like that. Paid off in spades.
The first step off the boat sets the pace.
The first one was fairly clever in that they had probably 50 years of collective ideas and inspiration to work off of. It’s a story that needed to push no boundaries and hold to established tropes, with no expectations because it was a ride: perfect for Disney.
Now when Disney gets their hands on an established franchise full of expectations…
The first one was my obsession when it came out in dvd
Wait…the movie is based on the ride, not the other way around?
They updated the ride after the movies, so… It’s kind of circular at this point.
Dude, way to make me feel old lol.
Tucker and Dave vs. Evil. Looks like another dumb Netflix original, but it was one of the best horror/comedies I’ve seen.
Speaking of the genre, big nods to another one - Little Evil.
It Follows - just read the premise of the film and tell me it doesn’t sound dumb… Then go watch it
Oh and Colossal!!! Ann Hathaway stars in this bizarre and very deep movie about a giant monster that can be controlled from a playground. Amazing movie. Trust me
It Follows… Amazing
Tucker and Dale vs. Evil! Amazing movie! I put it on one day just so I could check it off my list of new things out and, figured if I love the Evil Dead series (and also, as someone else mentioned in the thread, the Re-Animator) how awful could this be… it wasn’t. It was fantastic.
Enjoyed Little Evil too. So, I’m putting Colossal on my list right now!
I think Colossal will surprise you. It’s not exactly a horror comedy, but a very serious film wrapped in a ridiculous story
Similar vein: Slaxx. I’m not sure how vampire pants fits into things but boy does it start a conversation about using cheap labor for profit and the cost of life for that profit.
Colossal was weird, but i liked it. I could see where people would be thinking, what is this and why am I watching it, but it felt like real life to me. For a movie about monster avatars unwittingly being controlled from half a world away, anyway.
I think I wtched it follows, fully expecting to be awestruck and it just ended.
Con Air
It is absolutely not well written but I just love how the film and all the actors are completely aware of how dumb the entire thing is.
Oh, and casting Chief Engineer Miles O’Brien as the jerk that everyone hates is the icing on this guilty-pleasure cake.
I loved this movie when I was younger but it’s been a while… I’m sorry, WHAT?! O’Brien?! oh I need to see this one again
Con Air is an amazing “Sunday evening after eating too much dinner” film.
Clue
Movie based on a board game? Blegh
But it’s awesome. Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Lesley Ann Warren
It is then we’re reminded of the ability of good writers and performers to take even a low-potential idea and fucking kill it. With a pen. In the study.
I also expected a disaster. I wasn’t prepared for how entertaining it was!
This is top 3 of all time for me. There is so much happening in every scene you can watch it multiple times and still catch little jokes or sight gags each viewing.
No matter how many times I see it I can never figure out if it was 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 or 1 + 2 + 1 + 1.
It was 1+2+1+1 or 1+2+2+1
Unless Scarlett is right!
Absolutely one of my favorite movies
Having John Landis write the story didn’t hurt.
The Cabin in the Woods. Only seen it once so far and I’m still floored thinking back on it and how well it did its thing.
I was about to say the same, the purge was such a creative joy
Sucker punch.
Looks like a mindless action with titties, but it’s actually a good movie. Give it a try if you haven’t.
I watched a lengthy video essay about this movie that really made me want to watch it. Was definitely shocked by the level of thought put into the symbolism within the film.
This description reminded me of Club Dread, loved that movie as a preteen/teen
WWF wrestler discovers magic sunglasses and yuppie aliens. It’s a John Carpenter film and has one of the longest fist fights.
Disney’s “The Black Hole”. It came from a time just after Walt Disney had died and they were still figuring out their shit.
So they made an extremely dark SciFi flick with a cute robot that appeals to children which is such a weird combination, but I liked it a lot. I can’t even say why.
The U.S.S. Cygnus looks fucking badass, too. One of the best ship designs in a SciFi movie, change my mind.
A space-ship that’s 60% glass, 20% stiffener bars snd 10% normal space-ship stuff.
Then throw an air traffic control tower on top.
Yeah I can only imagine the number of untraceable air leaks in that thing, especially as it ages and the DAP around the glass starts to crack
Smallest of crack in the glass? Flex-Seal
Perhaps that was transparent aluminum, and not glass.
Disney writer #1: Let’s make a Tower of Babel parable, but set it space!
Disney writer #2: Are we going to end the movie with the antagonist being sent to actual-factual Hell?
Disney writer #1: You fucking know it!
They were trying for their Star Wars.
Oh yeah that thing is a classic.
Pandorum. At a glance it like like just another bad sci-fi, but it’s really good horror sci-fi mind fuckery with a fantastic twist. Dennis Quaid is great in it.
Yes! Unexpectedly good movie!
Pandorum was fantastic. I need to watch it again.
Tremors
Looks like a B movie, cheesy horror flick.
It’s got a great cast with supurb acting. The script is easily one of the tightest ever written. Every line is important to the overall story. And it’s just fun to watch.
There’s also Tremors 2: Aftershocks.
Plus there’s Tremors 3: Back to Perfection.
Followed by Tremors 4: The Legend Begins.
Then Tremors 5: Bloodlines.
Don’t forget Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell.
One might think Tremors: Shrieker Island, AKA Tremors 7: Island Furry (I spelled that wrong on purpose, it has nothing to do with furries) would be enough for Michael Gross to quit his acting career but how else was he going to pay for his ludicrous railroad memorabilia obsession and also the railroad he owns and the ‘safety first when crossing railroad tracks’ campaign?
So no, it didn’t end there. They kept the franchise going, choo! choo! with the imaginatively titled television series, Tremors: The Series.
If you skip the credits, you can watch all of it in less than 24 hours.
If you skip the credits, you can watch all of it in less than 24 hours.
LMAO, any Tremors fan around here?
I’m still waiting for a Tremors vs Critters vs Gremlins movie. We have the technology to make it but what would Hollywood do after such a masterpiece? It would be pointless to make movies after that, none could ever top it.
No, but what else are you going to do stuck up power pylon.
Came here to say exactly this. Only commented cause I can’t upvote twice.
The first sequel is so so, but the others that are all centered around Burt Gummer are plenty of silly fun too.
Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
I didn’t think the trailer looked good and it felt meh, but I ended up loving the movie a lot.
It was super attentive to d&d details such as almost all the classes of the party using intelligence as dump stats or the specifics of the spells mechanics while also not needing the audience to know any of that to have a good time and understand what was going on.
And the use of d&d lore and mechanics were woven into the characters and narrative, it wasn’t just hey remember this thing from d&d. Way underrated, probably bad marketing.
Free Guy
Generic video game movie stuffed with trendy references and fanservice is actually a really good singularity story
I’ve not seen it since it came out but Crank (2006) is a terrible, dumb action comedy that has no right being that entertaining. It’s sequel Crank High Voltage is less good but also still enjoyable. I should rewatch them see if that’s rose tinted glasses or not!
Crank is great! Another JS movie in that category is The Transporter. Totally a B action movie but the premise is unique, the fight scenes are clever (the oil fight!), and the electronic music score is très magnifique. The love aspect, however, is terribly written and cringey. Crank did that part better, and Amy Smart is hilarious.
The first Transporter is a genuinely good film, the 2nd is also pretty decent. But I’m not sure the third and 4th are worth the time of day.
Aren’t those movies in the same universe as Glass and Split?
I do not believe so! They’re not superhero films, are you thinking of Unbreakable?
Yes I absolutely am! Thank you!
Conan the Barbarian (1982) has no right to be as good as it is. On paper, it’s a dumb sword and sorcery flick with a body builder who could barely speak English in the lead. But everyone involved does an incredible job, from the acting to the directing, to the score. It’s a crime that Destroyer trashed up the formula, and we never got Conan the King.
Conan is a movie that teaches you what is truly best in life.
I watched it expecting the same campy tropes from other fantasy/sci-fi movies of the era and what I got was a movie deeper than it lets on. That score too, amazing.
It defined the genre in a lot of ways. There’s a reason so many 80s flicks tried to emulate it on the cheap. It’s the same as “Star Wars” to so many “Battle Beyond the Stars” movies that followed.
There comes a time, thief, when the jewels cease to sparkle… when the gold loses its luster… when the throne room becomes a prison… and all that is left is a father’s love for his child.
