Official last movie you saw thread

Queer (2024)

American-Italian period romantic drama film. It's about an American immigrant in his late forties who leads a solitary life amidst a small American community in Mexico City, but the arrival of a young student stirs the man into finally establishing a meaningful connection with someone. I think this is not quite as good as Challengers (2024), Luca Guadagnino's other movie to get released in 2024, which was also written by Justin Kuritzkes. But still, the performances are great, especially Daniel Craig's. Overall this was a bit more surrealist than I expected (maybe because of the heavy drug use in the movie) but I'm definitely not complaining. I think this one is very good. Can recommend.

Getting Lost (2024)

American documentary film. It's about the hit television series Lost and chronicles its development and cultural impact. I never actually watched Lost when it first aired. Well, that's not completely true. I'm pretty sure I watched the first episode. And at some point we were shown another episode in school for whatever reason and as it turns out, that was the second episode. Some things you just know even without watching the show. I've known of the numbers, I've heard "Not Penny's Boat" before. But yeah, I never actually watched Lost apart from that. Last year, I think it was in mid-October, I stumbled across it on Netflix and thought "why not watch it?" and so I did. Yesterday I watched the last episode. I had heard of this documentary and was excited to watch it as soon as I finished Lost, so instead of whatever else I planned to watch today, I watched this. Was a bit hard to find, but I managed to find it on vimeo on demand and rented it. It's 2 hours filled with everything Lost you can think of. The cast includes around half of the main cast from Lost, several recurring cast members, multiple crew members who worked on the show and longtime fans including people who had podcasts about the show when it aired. This documentary doesn't just celebrate the show and the people that made it, it also very much celebrates the community that has formed around it. The fans. It also addresses reactions to the show's polarizing ending (and ending which I, for the record, liked a lot despite always hearing how bad it is) and maybe even more importantly doesn't shy away from talking about the allegations of a toxic work environment on the show that were revealed during the documentary's production. Overall, wether you watched Lost once when it aired, wether you've been watching it over and over since then or even if you've only just finished watching it for the first time, like I did, this is a great documentary that I can highly recommend. But of course it should go without saying that you shouldn't watch this if you haven't watched Lost. If you haven't and you're looking for some great television, maybe just watch Lost. Even in 2025. And afterwards you can still watch this awesome documentary.

Alien Romulus
Well, I was pretty bored. No, strike that, I was really bored. Paper thin characters... strike that... were there even characters? Predictable by the numbers plot trying to pack as many tropes from the franchise into a whooping 2 hours movie with about 10 mn of "plot". Check.

Direction was ok but honestly I could have forgiven the weak plot if I could even remember any of the characters by the ending credits. I couldn't.

The Godfather Part III (1990)

I remember watching the (I guess) 1991 Oscars that this movie was nominated in several categories, but that it drew much negative criticism. I specially remember people saying it was "the movie that shouldn't have been made". I don't think I had even watched The Godfather by then, but I found the controversy juicy. Years later I got to see the trilogy back to back, and whenever I get to this last part, I think it's a good movie (not great like the first) and a worthy end of the story of Michael Corleone. While Vito had a strong part in the first movie, and an exceptional story in Part II, I've always seen the trilogy as the story of Michael.

The first movie is about passing the torch from Vito to Michael, with a background of the Corleone family struggling to survive and keep their safeguard power and influence. The second movie is two movies in one; first, to what extremes goes Michael to keep that safeguard and how he does it even more opposite to his father's ways than in the first, and of course the very well told story of Vito becoming the Godfather. The third is the demise of Michael, as he had always feared he would lost his family by trying to protect it (remember the talk with his mother in Part II?) and indeed losing everything he cared for due to the world he had to live in and through: violence.

We can all agree the first one is a masterpiece. I often read that the sequel is equally as good. But not for me. It's just for Vito's story. Michael's story in Part II looks decorated by various places and situations, but I always felt the story is pretty flat and predictable, because Michael's strong fist wouldn't have allowed otherwise. While being half of the movie, that story doesn't really tell much other than how different Vito and Michael are, how they behave in that business they got into. But that story could have been from any mob movie. Yes I said that. Masterfully directed, amazing performances, but the story is far from the first movie's strength, depth and intricacy (intrincacy sometimes well delivered with subtlety and succintly explained by a few characters). And as flat I find Michael story's in Part II, one of the criticism of Part III is how convoluted the story is. I didn't find any problem understanding what was going on, nor the real need to have watched the previous movies to understand it fully. Of course, it's a trilogy and as far as Michael's character is concerned, seen as a single work, it's the standard "introduction knot and outcome" structure. So yes it's not only better to watch the first two - it's necessary to understand the whole life of Michael Corleone. Who, with permission of Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro, is still the main character of the trilogy.

Now you'd have to understand my view of Part III: there are only two important scenes in the whole movie. The rest of the movie is there to explain how we got to those scenes. One is Mary's death. She dies due to his father. A misfire that she paid with her life. That's the moment Michael loses everything that's important to him. Then, jump to a very old Michael, alone, sitting in an old chair, with 2 pups exploring around but not really paying attention to him. Remembering the women of his life. But now alone for years, because you can imagine then why he's so alone. Do you think his son, his ex-wife would talk to him after what happened? That he'd keep friends around to remember how he lived and what it meant in the end? Probably cared by one or two people, because Connie and Vincent would want to ensure he's doing well... But I doubt he'd want to even talk to them. He commited the terrible sin of being himself, and the remnants of what he had were of no importance to him anymore. That's how I imagine the years after Mary's death and this scene had happened. And then, he dies. Peacefully (ironically peacefully, not violently). But with his worst fears made true. Alone, without family, with remorses, with "what if", punishing himself in his mind and heart. Phisically a peaceful death, but the end of a torture lasting for years.

So well, the movie is good. I think it's good. Not great, but far from bad. Some flaws here and there. I don't think Sofia Coppola did it that bad, but there was no chemistry with Andy Garcia at all. Most performances were good or great, with a special and personal favorite: Talia Shire. Who would have known, from his apparently helpless and wounded character in the first movie, that she'd become the hardest and strongest of the Corleone siblings. Even telling his brother the same kind of lies Michael had been telling to his family all his life. Sure Talia did a superb performance in that movie.

So, that was the epilogue of what has been called "arguably the greatest saga in american cinema". And IMHO it is.

Now I'm going to watch the Coda cut from 2020, which has the intended name of the movie: The Death of Michael Corleone (complete title: 'The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone') and see if it really makes the story better.

Sorry for the terribly verbose comments I make here on some of the movies I watch... It's kind of a pressure valve when I'm going through hard times, like this week.

Saturday Night (2024)

American biographical comedy-drama film. It's about the night of the 1975 premiere of NBC's Saturday Night, later known as Saturday Night Live. It has a huge cast, including Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Dylan O'Brien, Lamorne Morris, Finn Wolfhard, Cooper Hoffman, Jon Batiste, Willem Dafoe, Tracy Letts, Matthew Rhys, J. K. Simmons and many more and it was very entertaining. And I haven't even watched SNL before. Obviously, if you're a fan of SNL this is even better. Overall I can definitely recommend this.

And if that Best Ensemble Cast Oscar would've already been a thing this year, they would've been all over this.

The last movie I saw was "Warning". You can read about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warning_(2021_film). It wasn't a good movie, and I didn't understand what it was about, but that's life.

Alien: Romulus (2024)

British-American science fiction horror film. It's about six downtrodden young space colonists who encounter hostile creatures while scavenging a derelict space station. It is very good, but I feel like it should rather be watched on the big screen. Not only because of the visuals, but also because of the audio. Lots of atmospheric sounds (and soundscapes) that would feel a lot better with a great sound system like at a cinema. The digital Ian Holm was kinda bad, though. Some times the lips didn't even move correctly. Apart from that I actually liked the movie, but again, I would much rather have seen it at the cinema. So I can recommend it, but if there's any chance it's being re-released now that it has been nominated for an Oscar, it's definitely worth going to the cinema for.

So, this is the first movie I'm specifically watching for my Oscars Death Race this year. It's nominated for Best Visual Effects. Of the other nominees in that category I've already seen Dune: Part Two and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and I'm still missing Wicked and Better Man. Right now I'd probably give it to Dune: Part Two or this one, but it's still way too early to call.

Beautiful Men (2023)

Belgian-French-Dutch animated comedy drama short film. It's about three brothers who travel to Turkey to get hair transplants but their insecurities intensify during their stay. The stop-motion animation is great, the story is better than I would've expected, overall I can highly recommend this one.

This is nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the Oscars. I already watched Wander to Wonder for that category but this is always one of the hardest to call and so far they're both great.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)

British animated action adventure comedy film. It's about a villainous penguin who takes revenge on Wallace and Gromit by reprogramming their robotic garden gnome. Watched this yesterday. What to say about this that hasn't already been said? This is a Wallace & Gromit movie so if you ever enjoyed Wallace & Gromit before, you'll enjoy this one too. No matter how old you are. Highly recommended.

This is nominated for Best Animated Feature Film at the Oscars. Still need to watch Flow and Inside Out 2 for that category, but so far all of the nominees I've already watched (Memoir of a Snail, The Wild Robot and now this one) have been great.

Maria (2024)

Italian-German-American biographical psychological drama film. It's about the last seven days before the death of Maria Callas as she reflects on her life and career. Angeline Jolie's performance is really good and the story is very interesting, too. The singing parts most of the time are not her, though. They're mostly recordings of Maria Callas herself, which definitely isn't a bad thing, though. I still would've liked to see Jolie get some recognition from the Oscars for her performance. Overall I thought this was good. Can recommend.

This is nominated for Best Cinematography at the Oscars. The only one I'm missing here is The Brutalist as I've already watched Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, Nosferatu and this one.

Wolf Man (2025)

American horror film. It's about a family at a remote farmhouse who is attacked by an unseen animal, but as the night stretches on, the father begins to transform into something unrecognizable. Watched this at the cinema yesterday. First of all, I wouldn't call it a reboot of The Wolf Man (1941), it's just a random werewolf movie. What I do like about it are the practical effects, that's definitely well done. But the story... yeah, it's kind of a nothing burger. You could basically summarize it with one short sentence. Man gets bitten by werewolf and is being killed. Leigh Wannell actually said this is supposed to be more like The Fly (1986) than The Wolf Man (1941) and I kinda see where he's coming from (the whole "there's still a bit human inside of our main character even though you wouldn't guess it by looking at him) but it's just not done that well. If you want to watch a good Leigh Wannell directed reboot of a Universal Monster watch The Invisible Man (2020). This one sadly doesn't really deliver. Overall I can't recommend this.

But hey, it's the first 2025 movie I watched in 2025. The first 2018 movie I watched in 2018 was Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018), about 100 movies into the year. In 2019 it was The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (2019), also almost 100 movies in. In 2020 it was Goldman V Silverman (2020), about 9 weeks into the year, in 2021 it was The Dig (2021), about 6 weeks in. 2022 was The Batman (2022), 10 weeks in. 2023 was Dog Gone (2023), 3 weeks in. 2024 was Dune: Part Two (2024), 11 weeks in. And now for 2025 it was Wolf Man (2025), 4 weeks in.

Nickel Boys (2024)

American historical drama film. It's about two African-American boys who are sent to an abusive reform school in 1960s Florida. This is obviously not the first and only movie shot completely in first-person, but those are definitely rather uncommon, so this felt a bit unusual at first, but soon you get used to it. And of course, with a story like this, it immerses you very well. The movie is based on a 2019 novel which in turn is based on a real reform school that gained a reputation for abuse, beatings, rapes, torture, and even murder of students by staff. It's definitely not a light watch. The cast (Ethan Herisse, Brandon Wilson, Hamish Linklater, Fred Hechinger, Daveed Diggs, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and more) are delivering really good performances. Overall I think this is a great movie and I can highly recommend it.

This is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture at the Oscars and I think it definitely deserves both of those nominations. For Best Adapted Screenplay I still need to watch A Complete Unknown and Conclave, for Best Picture I'm missing The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, I'm Still Here, The Substance and Wicked. Can't really judge this movie's Picture chances since there's so much that I haven't seen yet and in Adapted Screenplay I don't know which one I'd choose between this one and Sing Sing, which are both great. Plus of course the other movies I haven't seen yet, although I think those have better chances at other awards.

Sugarcane (2024)

American-Canadian documentary film. It's about an investigation into the Canadian Indian residential school system, igniting a reckoning in the lives of survivors and descendants. Surprisingly similar to the fictional movie I watched yesterday with both being about some type of school where people were mistreated and killed. That movie was about Black American kids, this documentary is about Indigenous Canadian people. It's a very important one and I can recommend it.

This is nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film at the Oscars. First of the docu features I've watched, so I can't say anything about this one's chances, but it's very good.

September 5 (2024)

German-American historical drama thriller film. It's about the Munich massacre of 1972. While we already have lots of documentaries and movies about this terrorist attack, this one still feels like something you haven't really seen yet. This one mainly focuses on ABC Sports' coverage of the massacre. And it's really well done. Overall I thought this was very good and I can recommend it.

This is nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars. Still need to watch The Brutalist and The Substance from that category and because those two are said to be very good I can't really choose anything right now.

Wicked (2024)

American musical fantasy film. It's about a misunderstood green woman and a popular girl who become friends, but after an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads. I went into this with low expectations, but honestly, it's better than I thought. Especially the last third of the movie I thought was quite good. I also thought Cynthia Erivo was a lot better than Ariana Grande, who was often just too much. Of the songs some of them were good, some of them not so much, but I got some of both types stuck in my head after watching this. Overall I thought this was good. Can recommend.

This is nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, Best Original Score, Best Sound and Best Visual Effects at the Oscars. I'm sure it will win multiple of those categories, some I'd probably be happier about than others. But we'll have to wait and see.

Elton John: Never Too Late (2024)

American-British documentary film. It's about Elton John, his career and his farewell tour. It's kind of a standard documentary, following the same formula as a lot of others. It has a interviews, lots of previously unseen archival footage, some of his performances mixed in. Definitely well made. Of course it's not gonna revolutionize documentaries, but it doesn't need to. Overall I can very much recommend this, especially if you're a fan of Elton John.

This is nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars and after having watched this movie I've finished that category, so I feel a bit more confident about what could win. We got this one, a new song from a legendary music figure in the later stages of his career, two songs from Emilia Perez (which are a bit more unconventional and sometimes the Academy likes that; also having two songs nominated gives the movie a bigger chance at a win in this category), a song from Sing Sing which is imho good but not great, and the obligatory Diane Warren nomination. With all that on the table I feel like the Elton John song could win. Or the better one from Emilia Perez.

The Only Girl in the Orchestra (2023)

American musical short documentary film. It's about Orin O'Brien, who became the first female musician in the New York Philharmonic in 1966. I didn't realize this would also be about a musician retiring, much like the Elton John docu I've watched yesterday. So they would kinda make for a good double feature, even if this one's just 35 minutes long. I can recommend it very much.

This is nominated for Best Documentary Short Film at the Oscars. I've yet to see most of the other nominees, though. Only seen Incident and this one now.

Paddington in P3ru (2024)
The same lovely family movie as the first 2... Maybe a bit more predictable, than the previous ones, but still amazing.

The Fire Inside

Claressa 'T-Rex' Shields, a boxer from Flint, Michigan who became the first woman in the US to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing, and the first American, man or woman, to get two boxing gold medals back to back in the Olympics, in 2016 and 2020.
It's a very good sports drama with great performances by Ryan Destiny, who is surprising as Shields and Brian Tyree Henry as her coach but more than that it's about a boxer and her coach fighting a system in amateur boxing and professional boxing, that's designed to keep female boxers out.
Even if you're not into boxing, it's a great watch. The creative team behind the camera is top notch with Rachel Morrison at the helm (she is an Oscar nominated cinematographer who was the DP for Black Panther and Fruitvale Station) and a script from Barry Jenkins of Moonlight Fame.

Landman (S01) 👍🏻

Those Who Wish Me Dead 👍🏻

The Substance (2024)

French-British-American body horror film. It's about a fading celebrity who, after being fired by her producer due to her age, uses a black market drug that creates a much younger version of herself with unexpected side effects. Watched this yesterday. I gotta say I'm surprised. I love body horror and this is great body horror. Great performances by everyone involved, especially Demi Moore. I honestly think this is already a future classic. What a movie! Highly recommended.

This is nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Picture at the Oscars. It's a very fucked up movie definitely not for the faint hearted and I'm honestly surprised by all the love this is getting from the Academy. But it also maybe should've gotten nominations for Best Production Design, Best Cinematography and maybe Best Film Editing. Okay, trying to predict what it's gonna win is hard. In Best Makeup and Hairstyling I'm also rooting for A Different Man and Nosferatu, but I feel like The Substance might take that category. For Best Original Screenplay I still need to watch The Brutalist, for Best Actress I still need to watch I'm Still Here, for Best Director I still need to watch The Brutalist and A Complete Unknown and for Best Picture I still need to watch The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown and I'm Still Here. But if right now I had to pick out of everything this movie is nominated for what it would most likely win, I'd go for Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Actress. This is truly a great movie but not something the Academy usually recognizes, especially not for OTL awards like Actress, Director and Picture, which makes me root for it even more.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (S01) 🤙🏻

Kraven the Hunter 👍🏻

The Hitcher (2007). Good thriller starring Sean Bean (my fav actor). The first part of it was really, really good, but the other was mostly mindless action. They could have made it so much more interesting than that (given i have not seen the original yet).

Instruments of a Beating Heart (2024)

Japanese documentary short film. It's about a bunch of Japanese first graders preparing for a performance of Beethoven's Ode to Joy. It's good, relatively light-hearted, overall I can recommend this.

This is nominated for Best Documentary Short Film at the Oscars. I've yet to see some of those (only seen Incident, The Only Girl in the Orchestra and now this one) but right now I'd go for Incident.

Annihilation 🤙🏻