I’ll start: “Happy Death Day”
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
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.
WWF wrestler discovers magic sunglasses and yuppie aliens. It’s a John Carpenter film and has one of the longest fist fights.
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.
Disney’s “The Black Hole”. It came from a time just after Walt Disney had died and they were still figuring out they 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.
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!
A space-ship that’s 60% glass, 20% stiffener bars and 20% 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.
They were trying for their Star Wars.
Oh yeah that thing is a classic.
Free Guy
Generic video game movie stuffed with trendy references and fanservice is actually a really good singularity story
Sucker punch.
Looks like a mindless action with titties, but it’s actually a good movie. Give it a try if you haven’t.
This description reminded me of Club Dread, loved that movie as a preteen/teen
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.
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.
Pandorum was fantastic. I need to watch it again.
Yes! Unexpectedly good movie!
Event Horizon… terror in space? Worse the Alien? can’t be.
but it is haunting and PTSD inducing, very well made
Alien is pretty good but Event Horizon is the best space horror movie.
Solid film.
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!
Hamlet 2
A delightful comedy about a bumbling highschool drama teacher writing and directing his magnum opus. It’s hilarious, heartfelt, and subversive. The cast is excellent.
Cop Land.
I didn’t have Sly Stallone outacting Robert Deniro as a possibility, but then that movie happened.
Cop Land is amazing. Most people forget that Stallone has been nominated for three academy awards.
Ghosts of Mars by John Carpenter
Set on a colonized Mars in the 22nd century, the film follows a squad of police officers and a convicted criminal who fight against the residents of a mining colony who have been possessed by the ghosts of the planet’s original inhabitants.
Ghosts of Mars received mostly negative reviews and was a box office bomb, earning $14 million against a $28 million production budget.
Ghosts of Mars has received a cult following since its release, with critics praising the action sequences, soundtrack and blending of genres.
Everything by Carpenter, really.
I dunno, I think that movie is as bad as it looks
I mentioned this one on another post. It’s good enough I’m gonna throw it out there again. Kung Fu Mahjongg. All 3. …and Kung Fu Hustle
Edit to add, thier whole troop is amazing. Silly stories made amazingly entertaining, due to the charismatic cast and, creative and well executed choreography.
Kung Fu Hustle was amazing. Watched it randomly and still think it’s the best Kung Fu movie I’ve ever seen.
Somebody must do a Trakt or (Mdblsit) of the titles mentioned here, I am honestly interested in catching up with this backlog lol.