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...
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."
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."
