Obdurate
Celluloid Junkie
Member Since: 26 Jul 2008
Location: Canada
Age: 39
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...
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."
The Amateur (2025) - Rated 20 Jun 2025
"Even by implausible spy thriller standards, this is pretty ludicrous. It kind of just goes more off the rails the longer it goes. At first, I was in. Then once he becomes "trained," it gets really silly. When it slows down to say something, it fumbles. A waste of Fisburne and Bernthal, too. Conclusion doesn't feel earned. Also too long for what it is."
Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) - Rated 17 Jun 2025
"The Sword is the best of the 3, but all are good. Animation is fine but I wish they would have picked a different style. I like Yautja lore but am not an expert, so while I dig how this connects everything together, there are some potential lore issues. I don't really have the space here to get into that, but because there are good counterarguments to these lore issues, it's fine. Ultimately, it's a straightforward movie about hunts with cool action, weapons and kills. It's a lot of fun."
Echo Valley (2025) - Rated 16 Jun 2025
"It's held up by Julianne Moore, who is as authentic an actress as one can hope for, and she showcases it here as a mother dealing with a junkie daughter while grieving her late wife. That's about as heavy a family dynamic you can have and Moore navigates it beautifully. Sweeney deserves some praise too. As for the rest of it, it's fine. It's labeled as a thriller but it's not that thrilling, and it really only becomes one in the final 1/3. But you watch this for the performances mostly."
Friendship (2025) - Rated 11 Jun 2025
"I have basically no experience with Tim Robinson but this performance is so chaotic, awkward, insane and angry that it's one of my favourite male performances this year so far. A lot hinges on it, because as a comedy it's not especially funny (there are some moments), and as a drama his character's just a little too out there to be worth investing in. But the kinetic energy, along with Mara and Rudd being their usual lovely selves, drives this into being something entertaining."
Clown in a Cornfield (2025) - Rated 11 Jun 2025
"I like it. It's just fun. Decent all around. Not much more to say than that, except I heard of this movie because a Variety headline said it was the best horror twist since Cabin in the Woods, and no. The twist is cool, but c'mon now. I suppose for a slacker flick it's neat. But it didn't blow me away. And how they use it to examine generational differences, progress vs tradition, is okay too."
The Damned (2024) - Rated 10 Jun 2025
"One of those horror movies that establishes an oppressive, cold tone, and never offers a reprieve from it. It's a great setting for it, as these people are isolated and cold, dealing with a force they are not ready for. A slow burn. Doesn't do anything especially significant with horror, just tells its story well with effective atmosphere, few jump scares and an economical runtime. Good performance by Odessa Young."
The Surfer (2025) - Rated 10 Jun 2025
"The Red Pill movement sprinkles in some decent advice/psychological stuff for men but then overloads it with a load of bullshit, desperately pleading for men lacking direction to take it seriously. This is a satire of that. But even without that, it's a good movie. I imagine this movie is what goes on in Cage's brain--the contrast between the serenity of a beach and the insanity unfolding within. Shot very dreamlike/almost surreal. Cage is great. Plot is intriguing the entire time. Ending hits."
Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025) - Rated 06 Jun 2025
"There's a good movie in here and her name is Jenna Ortega. Seriously though, not even she saves this. To be fair, it does have some moments where the visual style matches up with the rest of it. But then Shults turns around and over directs it. For example, when he disorients the viewer with nonsense camera work like spinning it around the action excessively. The script needs work and there's too much padding. Then the final act is, as one critic put it, "self-flagellating.""
