Obdurate
Celluloid Junkie
Member Since: 26 Jul 2008
Location: Canada
Age: 40
Bio: I have a twitter: https://twitter.com/flickmetictyler
I even occasionally tweet.
Here's a big long empty space to symbolize the void in my soul.
Anything 51 and up is a recommendation, meaning you aren't wasting your time seeing it. Anything between 51-79 ranges from mediocre to very good. Anything 80+ is what I call a "Great Movie" and it's a must-see and is awesome to various degrees. Anything that's a 50 is something that I'm a fence sitter on (meaning I'm too useless to actually be able to make up my god damn mind) so it could go either way. 49 and under means you should avoid. Under 10 means I was probably raped by the movie or, at the very least, fondled. Despite the effort I've put into explaining my rating system, numbers are fairly often chosen at random (well, maybe my gut feeling) so I might actually like a movie I rated 75 more than an 85, I just really can't be bothered to go back and constantly re-do my ratings.
I even occasionally tweet.
Here's a big long empty space to symbolize the void in my soul.
Anything 51 and up is a recommendation, meaning you aren't wasting your time seeing it. Anything between 51-79 ranges from mediocre to very good. Anything 80+ is what I call a "Great Movie" and it's a must-see and is awesome to various degrees. Anything that's a 50 is something that I'm a fence sitter on (meaning I'm too useless to actually be able to make up my god damn mind) so it could go either way. 49 and under means you should avoid. Under 10 means I was probably raped by the movie or, at the very least, fondled. Despite the effort I've put into explaining my rating system, numbers are fairly often chosen at random (well, maybe my gut feeling) so I might actually like a movie I rated 75 more than an 85, I just really can't be bothered to go back and constantly re-do my ratings.
Recent Ratings
Check out Obdurate's...
Materialists (2025) - Rated 22 Jul 2025
"It's multiple steps backwards from Past Lives, though it's possible any movie Song makes will be. It's sweet enough. I just dig the cast. Dakota Johnson keeps it all together, Evans has the best character and while Pascal's given the least to work with, I still enjoyed his presence. The script is not as strong as I would like. Weirdly, the matchmaking aspects were some of the more interesting bits. It doesn't resonate emotionally with me as much as Past Lives. But this is good."
M3GAN 2.0 (2025) - Rated 17 Jul 2025
"You know, at first I actually thought taking it an action direction was a good idea because I was having some fun with it. There was some intrigue and even good moments. But then the movie kept going and the realization that it's just not really much of an example of the action genre started creeping in. Action's a little uninspired. This could have benefited from a more economical runtime. I know people hate it, but I still enjoy it somewhat."
Superman (2025) - Rated 13 Jul 2025
"If you want a bright, positive Superman, this is your movie. I won't pretend that there aren't some cringy moments, but it's so hopeful as a whole it just feels good. And like other Gunn movies, it also doesn't avoid tougher moments, like his interview with Lois where he yells, "People were going to die!" That hits. It hits because this version is so genuine, leans into it so hard. Aside from that, action is fun. I like that we are just thrown into this world."
Eden (2024) - Rated 08 Jul 2025
"A certain degree of tension exists, due to the contrasting dynamics of the 3 group of people. And the performances, especially from Ana, all sell it. At first, it's a joy to watch, because it's slowly unraveling. But it needs better pacing. It doesn't need to be 2 hours. It hits a certain point and you kind of feel like it should be over, but it keeps going. Really good on a technical level and somewhat enjoyable, it just lacks the appropriate heart and intelligence to make this story shine."
Tornado (2025) - Rated 07 Jul 2025
"Tornado tries for the slow build that eventually explodes into something memorable and meaningful, but it doesn't have the chops. Sure, it's shot pretty well so there are some gorgeous snapshots of the wilderness, but it's tedious, the chase has no real urgency or tension, and when it does get to its violent conclusion, the action's a little silly."
Ballerina (2025) - Rated 02 Jul 2025
"While it doesn't have the same visual flair as Chapter 4 has, this brings something different to the JW franchise. Ana de Armas is such a gem, and the ways they work around her being smaller than everybody makes the action more about improv than the precision badassery that the rest of the franchise has, which is a nice change of pace. That doesn't mean it's better than John Wick, just different. It is better emotionally. I felt more for Eve than I have Wick."
Shadow Force (2025) - Rated 29 Jun 2025
"I keep hoping Carnahan will ascend to the heights of some previous movies, especially with a premise like this which is where he excels... but this is only okay. It's not boring. Sy and Washington are fine together, and their romance and love for their kid works, but that's kind of bare minimum stuff. Without an interesting/charming script, we're left with the action, which is where this film really suffers: it's just kind of there. Nothing memorable at all about the choreography."
The Wedding Banquet (2025) - Rated 28 Jun 2025
"While I'm still waiting for Ahn to reach the heights of Driveways again, this is a significant improvement from Fire Island and shares similar DNA to Driveways. This is a touching, authentic film that got me on an emotional level. Really good performances all around. The grandmother and mother may not be in the movie as much, but add quite a bit of depth. I even laughed a few times at this, though this succeeds way more as a drama than comedy."
KPop Demon Hunters (2025) - Rated 23 Jun 2025
"This movie's dope. Yes, it's a kinda silly movie about the power of song, but it's done so damn well. Three characters worth investing in, with believable personalities and dynamics. They're badass and lovable. My problem with a lot of musicals is that I'd rather just watch the movie without singing because it doesn't add much, but here the songs slap and they drive the plot, so I actually enjoyed listening to them. Did not expect to love this like I do."
The Phoenician Scheme (2025) - Rated 23 Jun 2025
"Probably gotta give up on Wes. He's got a very distinct vision, which I can appreciate, and if you take any frame of this movie and use it as a still shot, it's beautiful. Great cast too, like always. Before I saw it, I dug the premise. And there are some jokes that work (the idea that he's always getting assassinated and SABOTAGE) even though they aren't hilarious. But he destroys his own movie. Style over substance is not bad inherently, but his style actively suffocates the substance."
