Refreshing movies worth watching

[J. Lohmann]

 

[J. Lohmann]

 

[mpw]

Clint Eastwood, 'Pale Rider' or any Clint Eastwood film.

 

[JeffS7444]

I guess just ignore me like the other individual who seems to be offended by packaging artwork did; I only view films on physical media, as I do with music, but this seems to be shunned here, even if there's nothing to say about the film I'm watching.

You and the three others who liked your comment are going to ignore my posts anyway, so what difference does it make?

Do consider even a bare-bones "terrible/meh/decent/solid/must-watch" sort of rating, because you seem to devour an amazing amount of movies. SF Chronicle used to have (maybe still does) little icons of a movie viewer: If the cartoon man was dozing, the movie was crap, but if he was leaping out of his seat and applauding, it was a must-see.

 

[JeffS7444]

You and the three others who liked your comment are going to ignore my posts anyway, so what difference does it make?

Also note that you're posting in the "refreshing movies" thread, so we're looking for good stuff here.

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

The Sheep Detectives. I'm not kidding. It's not a great work of art and it has talking animals although humans don't understand their speech even though the animals understand human speech. It asks and answers some afterlife questions in a way that will make some people think it's not appropriate for children. Animal voice actors include Julia Louis Dreyfuss, Bryan Cranston, and (no, really) Laraine Newman. Hugh Jackman is the main human character. He's the shepherd and the sheep solve his murder. It's a mundane cozy mystery plot with the normal amount of red herrings and twists. The really interesting thing is the personalities of the sheep and sheep thought processes.

 

[Philbo King]

A Man Called Otto, with Tom Hanks, was quite good.

 

[mpw]

Also note that you're posting in the "refreshing movies" thread, so we're looking for good stuff here.

There are very few actors better then Clint Eastwood and all films are very interesting.

 

[J. Lohmann]

Do consider even a bare-bones "terrible/meh/decent/solid/must-watch" sort of rating, because you seem to devour an amazing amount of movies. SF Chronicle used to have (maybe still does) little icons of a movie viewer: If the cartoon man was dozing, the movie was crap, but if he was leaping out of his seat and applauding, it was a must-see.​

Well, here's one I did for another site -- it doesn't include "just images of the artwork and covers," but because that other member mentioned me watching a lot of films (which I do -- didn't know there was a law against that) and that this site is looking for "good stuff" (a stab at my taste in cinema, I presume; I thought THAT was subjective, as well), I doubt I'll elicit any kind of reaction.

Here goes...

​

STUDIO: AVCO/EMBASSY/KINO LORBER STUDIO CLASSICS
TAGLINE: "Those who survive the ghost ship are better off dead!"
RESOLUTION: 3840 x 2160p (4K)
ASPECT RATIO: 1.85:1
HDR TYPE: HDR10
AUDIO CODEC: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
RELEASE YEAR: 1980
RUNNING TIME: 93 minutes
STARRING: George Kennedy, Richard Crenna

You'd think anything starring George Kennedy in post-Airport/Earthquake 1980s garb would be enjoyable -- unfortunately, that's not what we have here. Playing like a terribly-crafted made-for-TV film, Death Ship stars Kennedy sleepwalking through a role of a cruise ship captain ready to retire and pass the mantle to second-in-command Richard Crenna. The entire opening feels like a ripoff of The Poseidon Adventure, wherein Kennedy's character's ship is struck by a mysterious (and rusted-out) vessel that kills just about everyone save for a handful of survivors. When they happen to awake on the lifeboats and -- suddenly and out of nowhere -- notice the mysterious old ship floating by, they hop onboard (as we witness what are supposed to be ghosts opening and closing windows, rattling chains, etc.), after which things go badly (as you can imagine).

Kennedy's character is somehow "possessed" by a German World War II naval commander, and begins speaking in German while attempting to kill everyone who survived his cruise ship's disaster. Meanwhile, sexy women are attacked in showers by blood that pours out of the spout, gears on the ship move by themselves and other survivors are brutalized in different ways. After a while, Crenna's character, along with another survivor, discover this mysterious vessel was a torture experiment on the high seas for World War II Nazis, complete with rooms decked out in honor of Hitler, swastikas, SS memorabilia and ghostly bodies of victims that were once brought on the ship. At this point, Death Ship becomes a mashup of Poseidon Adventure and Ghost Ship, but without the sheer charm of either of those films; it attempts to dabble in the occult and supernatural horror, but fails at both. Everyone seemed to gush over the aforementioned "sexy girl is attacked by a bloody shower" sequence when I read comments online, but it didn't rattle me in any sense as a horror buff.

Kino Lorber presents Death Ship as part of the distributor's KL Studio Classics line in a 4K transfer that boasts a 1.85:1 widescreen presentation, supplemented by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 remix (the original mono is also included). The HDR10 grading wasn't impressive, with no real hot highlights to speak of, and I suspect the HDR pass was toned down to accommodate the mood of the poorly-shot film. The film stock seemed to be in decent shape, with mostly sharpened details that were accompanied by soft shots that didn't resolve too well. I never saw this 1980 shlock-fest until now, so I can't compare previous VHS, DVD or Blu-ray variants, but my guess is that this is the best Death Ship is going to look.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, in Kino fashion for older titles, was stapled to the front stage without any ambience from the surrounds (and barely any spread to the left and right channels for that matter). This was a glorified mono mix, for all intents and purposes, though I will note that the actual mastering level of the audio was refreshingly punchy and loud.

My recommendation? This was recently released by Kino in 4K and seems to have a cult following, but it was lost on me. If you must, give it a streaming or physical media rental. I can't help but think this could have been so much better in the hands of an experienced director -- like a John Carpenter or Steven Spielberg -- but perhaps one day we'll have a cool remake; in the meantime, stick with Dark Castle's Ghost Ship.

 

[J. Lohmann]

RIP SAM NEILL

This has been a real ****ty couple of weeks, what with the news of Bonnie Tyler, then Lindsay Graham and now Mr. Neill. Couldn't believe when I heard about his passing; great actor.

Threw in this sci-fi/horror classic in his honor...

 

[Chagall]

A Man Called Otto, with Tom Hanks, was quite good.

It was good, but I prefer the original Swedish A Man Called Ove. It’s sharper and feels more authentic, and the lead actor is just perfect. Tom Hanks is simply too likable to convincingly play a bitter old bastard.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4080728/

 

[Axo1989]

RIP SAM NEILL

This has been a real ****ty couple of weeks, what with the news of Bonnie Tyler, then Lindsay Graham and now Mr. Neill. Couldn't believe when I heard about his passing; great actor.

Threw in this sci-fi/horror classic in his honor...

Damn, sad to see our loss of Sam. Nice tribute.

 

[JayGilb]

 

[JeffS7444]

Well, here's one I did for another site -- it doesn't include "just images of the artwork and covers," but because that other member mentioned me watching a lot of films (which I do -- didn't know there was a law against that) and that this site is looking for "good stuff" (a stab at my taste in cinema, I presume; I thought THAT was subjective, as well), I doubt I'll elicit any kind of reaction.​

I try to avoid sneaky stuff like backhanded compliments.

Hollywood B-horror is generally not my thing, but lots of people must disagree:
https://cinemawasteland.com/

 

[LTig]

[..] Hollywood B-horror is generally not my thing, but lots of people must disagree:
https://cinemawasteland.com/

Neither is it mine. Generally I don't associate refreshing movies (topic) with horror movies, at all. Maybe I'm wrong ...

 

[Chagall]

Neither is it mine. Generally I don't associate refreshing movies (topic) with horror movies, at all. Maybe I'm wrong ...

I disagree. Yes, horror movies are not my favorite genre, but currently they are some of the best movies out there. Just look at A24 and Blumhouse movies - no overblown budgets, basically no pointless CGI crap and compared to today's blockbusters, much better storytelling.

Ofc, this doesn't mean there are no great blockbuster movies e.g. Hail Mary.

 

[Tell]

A Man Called Otto, with Tom Hanks, was quite good.

Watch the original instead yeah, it's seldom that USamerican are better than the original.
Or you could read the book even, that's what I'm currently doing and it's great, even better than the movies!

And I don't know about 'refreshing', but Obsession was a really good movie that I won't ever watch again, damn it was tense!

 

[LTig]

I disagree. Yes, horror movies are not my favorite genre, but currently they are some of the best movies out there. Just look at A24 and Blumhouse movies - no overblown budgets, basically no pointless CGI crap and compared to today's blockbusters, much better storytelling.

Best in my view does not automatically mean refreshing. The latter is a movie I like to see again many times for many years. Alien for example certainly is a very good movie but I haven't seen it a second time, ever. I don't like blood splashing all over. It makes me sick.

Ofc, this doesn't mean there are no great blockbuster movies e.g. Hail Mary.

Yep. The Martian, Arrival, 2001, Interstellar, Passengers are movies you can always watch again. Same goes for love comedies like Email for you, Sleepless in Seattle, Harry and Sally, ...

 

[JeffS7444]

And I don't know about 'refreshing', but Obsession was a really good movie that I won't ever watch again, damn it was tense!

Worst date movie ever. Classic old-school horror, and I think it works because of the low budget, not despite it. But once the real tension begins, it's relentless, but also a bit fatiguing as a result. In terms of re-watchability, maybe not so much: I'd rate Blair Witch Project, Human Centipede, and Hostel similarly. I found the latter particularly squirm-inducing, as it's pretty much torture porn. None are what I'd consider "refreshing" though!

 

[J. Lohmann]

I try to avoid sneaky stuff like backhanded compliments.

Hollywood B-horror is generally not my thing, but lots of people must disagree:
https://cinemawasteland.com/

Like I said, wouldn't go noticed...

If what I watch isn't "refreshing," I'll cease contributing to the thread; I assumed this was an inclusive "what film did you watch last?" sort of topic, but if the content I view isn't jiving with the "refreshing" moniker, so be it.