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An error has ocurred. Please try againBut it takes a lot for a movie to reach me, to touch me, to speak to me, to leave an impression that remains in my mind long after the film has ended.
So rare in fact that in my 50+ years of movie watching only a small handful have provided such an impact.
The ones that have are usually, well, unusual.
Take for example Lynch's Wild At Heart and Blue Velvet. Absolutely fantastic movies that I still love even decades after first viewing them.
And 2005's Wolf Creek. I'm not much of a fan of blood and gore, but it was the callous indifference that actor John Jarratt displayed while hunting down the kids that really got to me. So psychotic yet so real.
Funny Games, one of the few films with an American remake that I find to be at least as good as the original. Just a total mind f*** from beginning to end. And again very realistic in that sort of demented psychopathy way.
Deliverance. You shurr got a perty mouth. Definitely a movie that sticks with you long after you've seen it.
Being John Malkovich. Again a totally trippy mind f*** from beginning to end. No violence (or sex) which in itself is unusual for a movie that has made it into my all time favorites.
The Grey. Stunningly beautiful locations with a gripping story and an ever present foreboding where you are thrust into a world in which you are no longer the apex predator but are instead the hunted.
The Others. Rare for a ghost story to be in my favorites as I tend to dislike movies about demons, devils, ghosts, etc. I usually just find them silly. The Others is different. A very well put together movie with an excellent cast, great acting, and an intriguing story line. I love this movie.
Black Moon. Total f'ng mind trip. That's what Black Moon offered. And I loved every minute of it. This would be awesome to watch stoned!
Apocalyptco. Always had an interest in the Mayans and Aztecs, and this is another film with beautiful locations and a gut wrenching story of survival. Loved it.
Up until now these movies pretty much summed up my all time favorites.
Until yesterday that is. That's when I watched Midsommar, totally on a fluke, having never even heard of it.
And I was absolutely enthralled. It made me feel things that no singular movie has made me feel in quite some time. I was happy, I was excited, I was uncomfortable, I was dismayed, I was shocked, and I was sad. And I didn't want it to end.
In fact I had all but convinced myself that they heyday of quality motion picture making was all but over, having been exchanged for the quickly produced low budget fodder that is endlessly being dispensed to the masses through the mega online streaming services.
To say that I was happy to have found this movie would be the understatement of the year.
The problem is now that I've seen it I want - no I need - MORE!
So I scoured the Internet and all sorts of forums searching for recommendations of movies that others say are similar to Midsommar. And I decided I'd challenge these recommendations.
For each recommended movie that I am able to find, I am going to watch it and then I'll rank it below according to my opinion on how it compares to Midsommar. The closer the movie is to Midsommar's #1 position, the more similar I found it to be to Midsommar.
Perhaps with some luck I might actually come across a movie that I think is even better. One that will upset Midsommar's #1 position on my list.
But I won't be holding my breath.
Reviews
Dolls (2019)
Utter Crap. Watch the Original - It's Much Better.
This movie is a mess. The dialog in many parts is forced and unrealistic. Every scene feels like it was committed after a single take - good or bad it doesn't matter - if it got shot it's in the film.
And here's a tip should this crew ever decide to take on another film project.
You can actually use one location for interior shots, and another for all exterior facing shots. Truly, it can be done.
There is no need to have dialog drowned out by passing traffic during what should have been important scenes.
It's hard to get caught in the drama of the scene when you have countless cars and commercial trucks rushing by right outside the front door.
Geez. What a total mess.
Those Who Deserve to Die (2019)
Disgusting. Revolting. Not In a Good Way.
Some things should never be put in a film. The other reviews will tell you what this is. I will only add that it is actually far more disgusting than what you might imagine. Do yourself a favor and skip this POS movie, not only for the repugnant scene, but for the horrible acting, horrible music, horrible directing, horrible really just everything.
The male lead has the acting chops of a young Chuck Norris after a failed lobotomy. The only, and I do mean only, saving grace at all to this reel of rubbish were two of the female actors - Lynn Lowry and Rachel Frawley - which is the reason for two stars instead of just one.
The Meg (2018)
Shut Up Meg!
Kept waiting. And waiting. And waiting.
And finally - you guessed it - Shut Up Meg!!!
No way they could have made a movie called The Meg and not slipped that in there somehow.
Kudos. Much appreciated!
Open Water 2: Adrift (2006)
MAJOR Spoiler Right There In the Description!
I really enjoyed this movie, but a lot of it has to do with the fact that I had no clue how the people aboard were going to wind up in peril.
But here on this site it clearly states what happens, completely destroying the OMG moment when you realize what is happening in the film.
User reviews can be marked as having spoilers. How about not including obvious spoilers in the movie description!
Blue Lagoon: The Awakening (2012)
See the First One and Skp This Cheap Account
As someone who enjoyed seeing both the Blue Lagoon and Return to the Blue Lagoon in theaters with my then girlfriend (who became my wife) I can only say that this is a miss on so many levels.
This movie feels cheap, like it was conceived and put into production with little thought, and then thrust unto the market in it's imperfect state to generate whatever revenue they could.
A far cry from the artistic integrity present in the 1980 film.
There is really nothing good I can say about this version, except to skip it.
Harpoon (2019)
Six Forty Five
That's how long I was able to force myself to endure this total failure of a movie. Six minutes 45 seconds. My god that annoying voice over, the actors that I as a viewer could care less about, the aggressive, incessant dialog, the production value, the direction (or lack thereof) - all absolute are bottom rung here folks.
Seriously, it really doesn't get much worse than this.
I'd rate this movie perhaps just below Birdemic.
Julie Darling (1982)
Just Horrible
Someone took what could have been an interesting story line and ruined it with terribly dry, dull, often cliche dialog.
But what really sinks this stinker is the acting - or lack thereof.
As someone who enjoys movies immensely and has watched thousands upon thousands during my time on this planet, I can honestly say that very few that I've seen have ever suffered from such god-awful acting.
Did no one involved stop to think that perhaps rehearsals might be in order? No it's OK. Just deliver you lines as if you're reading them for the first time right from a cue card. That's seriously just how bad this is.
This movie makes Troll 2 look like Oscar material.
Shooting Heroin (2020)
Skip This - You'll Thank Me!
I've watched thousands and thousands of movies. From the classics to the current to the purposefully bad. Whatever this is does not even deserve to be called a movie. Instead it's a redneck Christianity-fueled feast of self-righteous in-your-face religious dogma in which the laughably misguided message is drugs are bad, but drinking and smoking and killing people are all good.
Easily one of the worst - if not the worst - movie I have ever had the displeasure of seeing.
The Irishman (2019)
Hands Down The Best Mob Movie Since Goodfellas
It had been so long since I had seen Al Pacino at work that I had nearly forgotten just what a powerful acting phenomena this superstar is. No other actor can go toe to toe with this man. I am in awe every time I see his work.
And Joe Pesci - damn good in his role as well. There is no one who can pull off a shady mobster who'll smile in your face and say "trust me" while at the exact same moment plotting your brutal demise.
Think of The Irishman like a modernized version of Goodfellas. A little less action and more story, but one hell of a stellar cast. And even though I did find parts of this movie to be slow, it was still highly enjoyable and I'd go so far as to say even somewhat educational. For example, I never knew Jimmy Hoffa was imprisoned.
But hey what do I know?...
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
Not What I Needed
To put it succinctly, the entire movie was just blah. And for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. I absolutely LOVED Breaking Bad. It was without a doubt one of my favorite series of all time.
So why didn't I like El Camino?
To me everything about it seemed wrong. It felt rushed. Unfinished. Trite.
I kept watching and waiting to be drawn in, to become totally immersed like I was when watching the series. But it didn't happen.
Then, at about the 15 minute to end mark I found out why.
There is a flashback scene where Jesse is talking with Walter White. It was good. It felt right. It's what I wanted to see.
And then it donned on me.
This story is about Jesse. And Jesse only.
While the Breaking Bad series was constantly inter-cut with different stories of different characters, there was none of that here. It was Jesse 100% of the time.
And honestly that made the whole experience rather dull.
The short scene that showed the interactions between Jesse and Walter White is what I was longing for in this movie, but short it was and it wasn't enough to make me feel good about having watched this.
All in all I'd say this is not a must watch for even the most die hard Breaking Bad fans out there.
It really brings nothing new "closure-wise" to the story, at least nothing that is pertinent to the Breaking Bad experience as a whole.