Re: What Did You Watch? 2025-02-15 (Saturday)

On Feb 16, 2025 at 9:48:57 AM PST, ""Ian J. Ball"" <ijball@mac.invalid>
wrote:

On 2/16/25 1:30 AM, Ubiquitous wrote:
 

 What did you watch?

 
Yesterday, I finished off "Longlegs", and got through two more (minor)
flicks (which I won't be getting a chance to today!), along with soaps,
and some golf:
 
Longlegs (Hulu) - This 2024 film feels like one of those movies that
looked better on paper than it does actually filmed.

I put on my long legs and watched this last night, too. And I agree with your
assessment.

    Clearly inspired by the film "Silence of the Lambs" (but with a
twist!! [roll] ), right down to being set in the 1990s, "Longlegs" stars
Maika Monroe as <s>Clarice Sterling</s> Agent Lee Harker - and Lee isn't
just an FBI Special agent, she's a very, very special agent! as she
seems to be unable to interact normally with people (or kids!). Maika
Monroe is a good actress, and does fine here, but this character is
rather one-note, as Lee looks permanently discombobulated and afraid
that the next shoe is going to drop (on her head!), which doesn't give
Monroe a huge amount to work with.
    Beyond that, the film has a good cast, with Blair Underwood as Lee's
boss, Alicia Witt (who shows up later, and is almost unrecognizably old
to me now)

Isn't she, though? It took me several scenes before I recognized as her as
Princess Alia in DUNE. ("And how can this be? For he *is* the Kwisatz
Haderach!")

 as Lee's mother, Kiernan Shipka in a supporting part, and
Nicholas Cage in over-the-top makeup and going completely over-the-top
in the role! - more over-the-top! than Nick has ever gone before!! - as
the apparent ring-leader of a series of family murders.
    But as the film's open implies, this isn't "crime horror" a la
"Silence of the Lambs" - it's "horror horror", which probably means
there's some supernatural element here.
    And that's where the film goes awry, especially with the film's ending.
    So, while I liked well enough (but didn't love) the film's first
two-thirds, it mostly lost me in the last-third, especially will the ending.

Yep. No explanation whatsoever. Obviously something supernatural is going on
because the fathers are being mind-controlled somehow to kill their families,
then themselves, but all of that is never explained. The closest we get are
the shadowy hints of a satanic being lurking in the dark in some of the
scenes.

Warning (Hulu) - Well this 2021 sci-fi flick ended up being disappointing.

No way! I watched this last night, too! And I agree with your assessment. I
kept thinking, this is horrible, I'll just turn it off and watch something
else, but I kept giving it another 10 minutes, hoping something decent would
happen. It never did.

Deadbolt (Tubi) - A 2024 Tubi Original film! Starring Rebecca Liddiard!!

Okay, in case you're wondering, I did *not* watch this one last night.