VHS and Betamax You Have Recently Rented

[DavidB6937]

Tron Ares

As someone who actually hadn't bothered watching Tron until a week ago (it looked a bit pants), I enjoyed this. The trailer made it look like a really noisy visually fun movie and that's exactly what it was. I'm glad I watched the first two before it as it had some really nice call backs (not overdone) but probably would've coped without them too. It felt like all the movie technology had caught up to be able to finally make the movie they wanted to, especially considering how dodgy some of Tron Legacy looks now. Not the biggest Jared Leto fan by any means so that was my one concern but Ares was a good character for him. So yeah, enjoyable IMAX experience but the bigger picture suffers from (a) not many people caring about Tron and (b) this not being good enough to change enough minds.

Roofman

Probably one of those that would've passed me by if I hadn't seen the trailer a bazillion times, but Tom Petty sold me on this. The worry going in was that I'd seen all the good bits in the trailer which was half true, but I wouldn't have bothered with it if the trailer wasn't enjoyable so catch 22 there. I thought it was a great performance from Channing Tatum and he really holds it all together, but it was also a reminder of how great Kirsten Dunst can be too. Equal parts melancholy and funny, it walked that line well and I'll certainly be reading up on the true story of Jeffrey Manchester more. Sometimes the best stories are based in truth which leads me to..

I Swear

Again, absolutely 100% something I would've skipped if I hadn't seen the trailer but they did a wonderful job of presenting a heartfelt and hilarious story that I had to go and see. Robert Aramayo is phenomenal and deserves many awards for his portrayal of John Davidson, a man who has Tourette's syndrome. It's about his journey from a young, bullied boy with a family who simply don't understand to a man who puts himself out there to educate the world and empower them with knowledge, as well as bringing others with Tourette's together. Director/writer Kirk Jones does an incredible job of juggling the humour and darker moments, never going too far in either direction, finding that sweet spot where you can be laughing one second and crying the next. I think I cried maybe five times so there you go. I mean I cry a lot anyway but it was genuinely emotional in places. Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson and Peter Mullan were also wonderful in their roles but Aramayo just completely and utterly encapsulates Davidson. Not only an entertaining movie but a really important one too.

[BomberPat]

Boys From County Hell

This got mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it. Irish horror/black comedy, based on the idea that Bram Stoker was inspired to write Dracula based on an Irish legend of an immortal wizard/vampire who rose from the dead every time he was killed, until he was buried beneath a rock cairn. The cairn and the land he's buried in is threatened by the building of a new bypass, and the ancient evil is awakened.

It's a bit disjointed at times, and it doesn't always nail what it's going for, but I liked the atmosphere, the little bits of black comedy mostly worked for me, and it's a nice twist on an old vampire story. It's also ninety minutes long, which goes a long way to make me like a film.

[SuperBacon]

The Cabin in the Woods

Crap. Didn't realise the whole *small spoiler*

Spoiler

Reality show angle of it all, and didn't buy into that. I'd have just preferred them to be stalked at the actual cabin.

Was also really distracted by the stoner lad who is the "Got turd?" guy from The Gang Poops The Bed who analyses the shit. 

Also thought one of the main leads was Matt Willis from Busted for about half an hour. Might have been tired.

Heretic

Decent, but I did get bored towards the end. Didn't realise how much I needed to see Hugh Grant do a 

Spoiler

Jar Jar Binks impression until it happened

All the leads were great though, was really impressed by them.

[FLips]

Tucker and Dale vs Evil

Pretty fun spin on the horror genre where two hillbillies are trying to mind their own business while a typical gang of horror teenagers get the wrong end of the stick (literally and figuratively in some cases) and accidentally start killing themselves trying to not be killed by these harmless rednecks.

Wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s a great film but it was harmless enough. Steve The Pirate from Dodgeball and Sock from Reaper are likeable as the two clueless hicks, and the over the top gore gets laughs.

[ReturnOfTheMack]

I love Tucker and Dale! 

[LaGoosh]

Citizen Kane

Finally after 38 years on this Earth got around to watching it...

Edited October 21, 2025 by LaGoosh

[Lorne Malvo]

9 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

Citizen Kane

Finally after 38 years on this Earth got around to watching it...

 

It's one of those films where you go in thinking 'it can't possibly be as good as it's reputation suggests, can it?' then come out going 'yeah it is actually'. It's brilliant.

[LaGoosh]

I think a lot of people who haven't seen it assume it's some slow, ponderous, high brow, pretentious piece beloved by critics but boring to normal people when it feels remarkably modern to this very day, has a fast pace and a real energy to it. The thing absolutely breezes by.

[DavidB6937]

Good Fortune

Long shit day at work so went to see this. Pretty low expectations from the trailer to be honest, so ended up being surprisingly okay. Keanu was fun, while Aziz Ansari and Seth Rogen basically played the same characters they always do. Not necessarily a bad thing. A fun enough comedy with some nice ideas. Got more laughs in the cinema than I was expecting.

Edited October 21, 2025 by DavidB6937
Bold! Always believe in your soul.

[SuperBacon]

Escape Room

Utter shite. Mercifully only 90 minutes long.

Urban Legend

You know what, this was crap, but I didn't mind it. She's a dreadful actor, but I've always had a thing for Alicia Witt (fucking D Girl!!!) and think she is gorgeous so that added a few marks.

Would've liked to have seen more of the goth room mate as that 90s "jacked into the net!" vibe is the best and she was into the web and chat rooms big time.

I like how Scream had the mask, Last Summer had the fisherman jacket and this had the parka. Mod killer.

Carrie

Absolutely superb as always. Those kids deserved to burn.

 

[Devon Malcolm]

4 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

Escape Room

Utter shite. Mercifully only 90 minutes long.

The sequel is even worse, if you can imagine that.

[SaitoRyo]

Still Holding On: The Legend of Cadillac Jack

An alright made-for-TV movie based on the true story of a rodeo cowboy who was wrongly convicted of a double murder. Country music star Clint Black plays the rodeo man, with his wife playing, erm, his wife. It's the sort of film where they don't age a day but to show the passage of time their son is played by three difference actors and ages about ten years.

Roadhouse 66

A pretty damn decent little rockabilly road movie about some nerd (Judge Reinhold) who gets stuck in a small town for a few days and strikes up a friendship with hitchhiking musician Willem Dafoe. They start beefing with the local gang of assholes and things, quite frankly, escalate way too far in a very short amount of time.

I like stuff like this, with its honky tonks, roadside diners and other bits of Americana iconography. Plus it has Willem Dafoe singing The Blasters and shagging a lass in a water tank, so what else do you even really want out of a film?

[SuperBacon]

9 hours ago, Devon Malcolm said:

The sequel is even worse, if you can imagine that.

Yeah I saw it was on the iplayer, but then remembered you'd watched them all (where are the rest...actually don't tell me) and thought better of it.

Watched The Babysitter last night, what a fantastically fun film. And Samara Weaving is wonderful, and ridiculously beautiful.

[Devon Malcolm]

23 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

Yeah I saw it was on the iplayer, but then remembered you'd watched them all (where are the rest...actually don't tell me) and thought better of it.

There are two from that 'franchise', both awful. There was an Escape Room made in 2017 that has nothing to do with that series. Even worse. And there was an Escape Room made in 2018 which is nothing to do with the above. The worst of the lot.

In other words, never watch any films called Escape Room. Even if Deborah Ann Woll is in them.

23 minutes ago, SuperBacon said:

Watched The Babysitter last night, what a fantastically fun film. And Samara Weaving is wonderful, and ridiculously beautiful.

A genuine miracle this is good considering who directed it. The sequel is alright too.

[davertfnewman]

When SuperBacon first shared his comments my initial reaction was "I didn't think that Jodie Foster movie was that bad!".