u/Poor-Dear-Richard

I watched around 60 movies in June. Some were unforgettable. Many were good entertainment. Some were unwatchable. In fact, I shut off 12 of them before the 20-minute mark. Thankfully, these 10 reminded me why I love movies. How many of these have you seen and what is your opinion?

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte - I can't believe I waited 60 years to watch this film. What a mistake. From the opening scene, I was completely hooked by the mystery, atmosphere, and Southern Gothic tension. Bette Davis is every bit as brilliant as expected, but Olivia de Havilland stole the show. Seeing her play such a manipulative and villainous character was a treat. A fantastic classic that instantly earned a place among my Top 20 favorite films. Final rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½.

In Bruges - One of my favorite films of all time. Why did I wait so long to watch this? On paper, it's a strange premise. Why should we be rooting for two hitmen? Yet somehow it feels completely natural. Despite being labeled a comedy, I'd call it more of a dark comedy with genuine emotional depth. A brilliant blend of crime, drama, and dark humor that has become one of the most memorable films I've seen in years. Final rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - Watching this for a second time after only seeing it years ago reminded me how much I loved it. The characters pull you into the story, and before you know it you're emotionally invested. I especially appreciated that the movie never felt predictable. It balanced drama, humor, and heartbreak without any of it feeling forced. Final rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½.

Hell or High Water - This is one of those rare crime dramas where the characters feel like real people instead of movie characters. I found myself rooting for the brothers despite everything they did, which says a lot about how well the story is told. Chris Pine and Ben Foster were excellent, and the West Texas setting became a character of its own. Jeff Bridges was great too, although half the time it sounded like he had a mouth full of marbles. And let's be honest, the waitress at the T-Bone Cafe stole the show! Final rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½.

Network - Why did it take me 50 years to watch this? It's hard to believe this film is nearly 50 years old because it feels more relevant today than ever. The film's warnings about media sensationalism, corporate greed, and entertainment replacing substance feel even more accurate today than they did when it was released. Faye Dunaway and William Holden were both outstanding, and the writing is razor-sharp from beginning to end. Few films can entertain, challenge, and predict the future all at once, but Network somehow pulls it off. This should be on everyone's watchlist. Final rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

Oddity - A fun film and an easy movie to recommend for a Friday night with a pizza. It's creepy, entertaining, and balances supernatural horror with a crime mystery surprisingly well. Even though I knew none of it was real, the story was believable enough that I stayed invested from beginning to end. There's also a sadness running through the film that gives it more weight than a typical horror movie, helping it stand out from many others in the genre. Final rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

The Gift - A really good movie with an excellent story and great pacing. It blends crime, drama, mystery, and the supernatural surprisingly well, so there's a little something here for everyone. Cate Blanchett absolutely carries the film with a 10/10 performance, and the supporting cast is excellent too. Best of all, the mystery is intriguing without becoming so complicated that you have to spend the next two hours with Google trying to figure out what actually happened. Definitely worth a watch if you're looking for a supernatural mystery. Final rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½.

Wind River - One of the better crime thrillers I've seen in a long time. The story hooked me from the start and never let go. Jeremy Renner brings strength and authenticity to the role. The bleak Wyoming setting adds so much to the atmosphere, making the story even more powerful. There's no huge twist ending, but revenge is a bitch, isn't it? Final rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

The Mothman Prophecies - What worked best for me was how easy it was to get pulled into the mystery. The story keeps you curious, the performances are strong, and the film maintains a creepy, unsettling tone without relying on constant scares. I mean really, Richard Gere and Laura Linney, how could you beat that cast? Sometimes a movie doesn't need to reinvent the genre. It just needs to tell a good story, and this one does exactly that. Final rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

Exam - A claustrophobic room with thought-provoking dialogue. My type of film. I really enjoyed this one. It proves you don't need a huge budget or elaborate sets to tell a compelling story. The diverse group of personalities made every conversation interesting, and I found myself constantly wondering who would crack. Films like this stay with me long after they're over. I can't explain why, but they just do. Final rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

These are the last 4 films I watched this week. Not impressed, and I was left starving for something better. Here are my thoughts, let me know yours.

The Last Stop in Yuma County had me hooked from the start. Great acting, sharp dialogue, and tension that never let up. It was headed for ⭐⭐⭐½, but the ending completely killed it. I don't need a happy ending, just one that earns everything that came before it. Final rating: Final rating: ⭐⭐½.

Ready or Not 2 traded story for body count. The acting was rough, the nonstop profanity got old fast, and the characters survived things that belonged in a superhero movie. I enjoyed the first film, but this sequel was more interested in killing people than telling a good story. This film broke the worlds record for using the word "fuck" in a movie. Final rating: ⭐⭐

Distorted had one major obstacle right out of the gate: Christina Ricci's distracting blonde bob haircut. It was so conspicuous I spent half the movie wondering which Miss Clairol color she was using. And those constantly bulging eyes? I fully expected one to pop out before the credits rolled. For a movie centered on technology and paranoia, it never leaned into either enough. I don't even remember how it ended, and I just watched it last night. Final rating: ⭐⭐½.

Malevolent had all the ingredients to be a genuinely good horror film—it just needed a stronger script and a star-studded cast. The story had potential, and while it had a few gruesome moments, it never reached the level it could have. The best part? You won't need a YouTube explainer or a Reddit thread to understand it. No hidden symbolism, no cryptic clues—just a straightforward horror film that's perfect when your brain is fried after work. Final rating: ⭐⭐⭐.

Here is all of the vintage films I want to see in no particular order.

Other than Vertigo, 12 Angry Men and The Apartment, which would you watch first?

Which ones suck?

Here is all of the vintage films I want to see in no particular order.

Other than Vertigo, 12 Angry Men and The Apartment, which would you watch first?

Which ones suck?

Here is all of the vintage films I want to see in no particular order.

Other than Vertigo, 12 Angry Men and The Apartment, which would you watch first?

Which ones suck?

For some reason I love these one room films where the drama comes from conversation in a somewhat claustrophobic space. In these four films I found myself glued to every word.

What are some other films like these?

These were 29¢ at Aldi. In retrospect, maybe I should have bought all if what there was on the shelf. There were Oreos too but I am not a fan. I think they were suppose to be $2.95 and someone made a typo. They aren't marked sale.

They rated #2 buffet in the country.

https://www.yourobserver.com/news/2026/jun/27/sarasota-amish-eatery-ranking/

Pick your top three (or 5 or 10) from this list. I am curious to see what everyone's thoughts are. The are sorted in order of Letterboxd average rating. Did I nail it?

Pick your top three (or 5 or 10) from this list. I am curious to see what everyone's thoughts are. Thet are sorted in order of Letterboxd average rating. Did I nail it?

Honestly at first I thought they were interesting. Then I thought they were vile. I put a lot of BBQ sauce in them to tone them down.

In case you didn't know, I am a pickle connoisseur. I was on my last Vlasic jar of dill spears so I opened my Aldi jar to compare.

1. Great Gherkin $2.49
2. Vlasic $2.67 at Walmart.
3. Vlasic $4.49 at Winn Dixie. That's ridiculous.

• Both pickles taste just about the same.
• They both had the same crunch
• The Vlasic are good. Nice dill flavor
• The Adli is also good but the flavor is more pungent. Maybe there is more vinegar?

The Winner: Aldi, not by a big difference but I liked them better because they were more pungent. If I was in Walmart I would just get the Vlasic, only an 18 cent difference.

Incidentally, the serving size of both these pickles is ⅔ spear. What do I do with the other ⅓ of the spear?

Bring it on. You won't change my mind.

Here is my renewed top 20 watchlist. I got through a good amount of films last week. Tell me what you think and if you would move. anything up or down. Feel free to suggest what is missing.

Smoqehouse is, without question, my favorite restaurant in Bradenton Beach. I've eaten there several times, and unlike many restaurants that treat consistency as an optional feature, Smoqehouse delivers every time.

My go-to order is the Korean Beef Burger. For $12, you get a mountain of shaved beef topped with Korean BBQ sauce and ginger lime slaw on a fresh ciabatta roll. The amount of beef they pile on makes me wonder if someone in the kitchen is losing money on every sandwich.

The hand-cut fries deserve their own paragraph. A small order costs $4, but apparently nobody told them what "small" means. The portion is huge, and the fries arrive hot, crispy, and salty enough to remind you why diets fail.

My only complaint is the puddle of sauce they put directly on the tray paper. Maybe it's modern art. Maybe it's a science experiment. Either way, I think it would work better in a cup, just like the ketchup.

The restaurant itself is the perfect post-beach stop. You can sit inside in the glorious air conditioning and remember why humans invented buildings, or grab a seat at one of the picnic tables outside and swelter in the heat.

Pro tip: Go during the off-season. The island is easier to get onto, easier to drive around, and you won't spend half your vacation staring at the back of someone else's SUV.

For me, Smoqehouse is a 10 out of 10. No complaints—except for the sauce puddle, which continues to confuse me every single visit.

https://smoqehouse.com/

Sometimes the best dinner comes from home. Grilled smoked chicken breast, loaded baked potato, pineapple coleslaw. It was delicious. 10/10.

I am always on the hunt for good Chinese food, which is surprisingly hard to find in this area. With that in mind, I decided to give Grand Buffet on 14th Street a try.

Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed. The selection of Chinese dishes felt limited, while there seemed to be a lot of American food taking up space that could have been used for more traditional Chinese options. If you're looking for a buffet with a wide variety of Chinese dishes, this may leave you disappointed.

Overall, I would rate Grand Buffet 2 out of 5 stars. By the time I paid my bill, which came to a little over $20, I couldn't help but think of several other places where I could have had a better meal for less money.

Note: The hot and sour soup was neither hot nor sour and they put matchstick carrots in it. Odd.

I won't be returning.

Every time I go to Checkers, I ask myself the same question: Why do I keep doing this to myself?

The answer is simple: a $5 combo meal. Every now and then I convince myself that maybe this time will be different. It never is.

This visit, I ordered the Sourdough Melt combo. The burger was pretty awful. The biggest crime was the "sourdough" bread. The photos online make it look like thick, buttery, golden-grilled sourdough. In reality, it seemed more like regular bread that had been dyed yellow and never introduced to the concept of sourdough. It was also tough and rubbery. 

I've also never understood Checkers' burger patties. They always seem bland and underseasoned, as if salt and pepper are optional upgrades, and while the fries are usually the one thing that keeps me coming back—crispy, salty, and genuinely good—they were cold on this visit. Cold fries are the culinary equivalent of stepping in a puddle while wearing socks.

If you're looking for a cheap meal, Checkers still has that going for it. Just keep your expectations somewhere between "gas station snack" and "I should have gone somewhere else." Stick with a basic burger if you must. The fish sandwich is decent enough. I can't speak for the chicken because I've never been brave enough to try it.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.

I'm sure I'll be back someday, lured in once again by the promise of a cheap combo meal, only to leave wondering why I didn't spend the same money somewhere else.

Here is my current watchlist, what are your TOP 4 from this list? . I sort of have them in the order I see it, but I am always wrong! If you think there is anything that is crap, let me know.

Here is my current watchlist, list what TOP FIVE you think I should watch first. I sort of have them in the order I see it, but I am always wrong! If you think there is anything that is crap, let me know.