Keith Moser (he/him)

Gave WICKED a rewatch & wish I hadn't. Erivo & Grande-Butera are both great (even if the KC impression grated at times) and everything is fantastic to look at, but the film could have been a good 30-40 mins tighter. Goldblum, Yeoh, Dinklage all felt woefully miscast. I'm scared for For Good 3.5*

NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON'T doesn't rely on the first 2 films (I don't remember much of either), but most everyone is back with 3 new, much younger magicians to help take down an evil diamond company with ties to Nazis. Perfect 2025 escapism! I think the story would work better w/o the magic 2.5*

TIL that SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS was a film first & not a stage adaptation. Probably couldn't get made today with the kidnapping & shotgun wedding ending, but that entire barn raising dance number felt worth it. Keel & Powell were good despite their love story being hard to believe 3.5*

Post your favorite Star Trek character. Wrong answers only.

THE RUNNING MAN tells an interesting story of one man against an authoritative propaganda machine, but it lacks anything that makes it a Wright film. One scene in a car trunk almost works (but ultimately felt like a shortcut). Powell did disguises much better in Hit Man, but his charm still works 3*

Didn't expect much from PREDATOR: BADLANDS but I think I'll check out Prey & Killer of Killers soon... I like Trachtenberg making a Yautja the antagonist & tying everything to the Alien franchise w/o going as bad as AVPR. Really nice character arc for Dek & Fanning's double work was excellent 4*

I liked a lot of I Think You Should Leave, but Robinson's style works better in short sketches than it does over FRIENDSHIP's 100 mins. DeYoung is a competent director, but his script jumps from plot line to plot line w/o any regard for connections. Some funny moments but nothing too memorable 2.5*

I knew very little about Mansfield before MY MOM JAYNE, but Hargitay's directorial debut taught me a lot about this sex symbol pretending to be a dumb blonde. Like all the best documentaries, there are several surprise twists (maybe fewer for those who know Jayne) & in the end, I may have cried 4.5*

Many images in THE CELL reminded me of The Fall & then the director's name appeared & I remembered why I added this to my watchlist in the first place. Sadly, the story couldn't live up to The Fall. While D'Onofrio makes an excellent serial killer, I just didn't believe the FBI's hunt for him 2.5*

Plemons & Stone are each excellent in BUGONIA but the story makes the film mediocre-Lanthimos. Its first act introduces interesting themes of conspiracy nuts & corporate greed, the middle act drags on with lots of repeated beats, and the final act seems to drop its satirical message. Great score 3*

BRING HER BACK has some brutal images for a film about loss & family—a few major wince & curl up while trying to look anywhere but the TV moments. Hawkins plays against type but Wong & Phillips are the real stars here. The writing felt weak—everything a little too tropey with lore for lore's sake 3*

ROOFMAN was a surprise—Tatum & Dunst give excellent performances & have great chemistry. A lovely mix of humor and heart; while I got pissed at many of Jeffrey's choices, the ending got dusty a few times. The end-credit archival footage & interviews were nice to watch. Horrible inventory mgmt... 4*

Thanks to you and Skio! Finally listened to 337 before now listening to 338
(and I think I recognize you from my days in the Escape this Podcast discord back in the day…)

Have the boys been AWOL from the discord? Episode 4 dropped but 3 still seems wrong…

Spirit Halloween was sold out of Rumi costumes, but my 7yo saw a girl BEETLEJUICE & wanted to be that, so we watched the movie (and a few cartoons). I should have prepared them better for how little Beetlejuice is in his own movie, but besides the final scene with aging Barbara/Adam they liked it 4*

Yup, unless this is a Creeptobscare Wildcard where the brothers try to repeat every line verbatim, I think the 336 got reuploaded with the 337 title. Just deleted and redownloaded this morning and it is still 51:15 with squashed bug haunting them in the first minutes @finishitpod.bsky.social

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER did not feel ~3 hrs long & everyone gave top-notch performances. DiCaprio, Taylor, Infiniti, Penn, Del Toro, Hall, Haim's wig. PTA's films usually improve on rewatch, so I'm hesitant to go straight to 4.5* but it feels important & that desert road set piece was mesmerizing!

Was excited to see AMC showing a 50th Anniversary of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW & disappointed the audience didn't seem to know any of the participation callouts. Sat with a friend & we whispered as many as we could remember from a decade+ ago. The film isn't great, but the experience is still 5*

THE LONG WALK earns its R rating w/ some brutal moments while Brian Cox turns out to be Mark Hamill! A simple plot without much variability, Jonsson & Hoffman give fantastic performances bonding like brothers over their walk. Most of the other walkers are good too & the ending surprised me 4*

No clue how RETURN TO SEOUL got on my Watchlist so its themes on adoption & identity came as a surprise. Park is great, giving four different performanes through the story's time jumps. The first half is stronger than its second, but I still appreciated seeing Freddie grow up & search her roots 3.5*

THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (just like TDCotB) is another absurd film by Buñuel that I enjoyed the vibes of. No clue how Sondheim & Ives created Here We Are from both—rich people never leaving their fancy dinner party doesn't feel like a great musical. Set up was fun & ending is very Twilight Zoney 3.5*

Started my Xmas movies early this year with THE LION IN WINTER—this one with lots of family dysfunction! I didn't know much about Henry (II?), Eleanor & who succeeded whom, but O'Toole & Hepburn are a pleasure to watch spar while Terry looks like a Monty Hall reject. Some horrible fight choreo 3.5*

Made the kids watch SINGIN' IN THE RAIN & they were engaged almost the whole time. Both found it funny & liked most of the songs. I loved how "one more scene & number" left was a 15-min spectacle with hundreds of extras! Silly Don... Probably a 5* film w/o that lengthy Beautiful Girl sidetrack 4.5*

Had a good time watching Butler traverse CAUGHT STEALING's wacky version of a 90s NYC underbelly. There were a few gruesome moments (as is Aronofsky's wont) but nothing as bad as his worst (RfaD). Kravitz is underused as is Smith (who I didn't even recognize)—Schreiber & D'Onofrio make a fun pair 4*

Forgot THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT was written by Black & so is, by definition, an Xmas movie. Fun little action flick w/a ridiculous plot but some great one-liners. Davis & Jackson have good chemistry & Beirko makes an excellent bad guy. A tighter script & better logic for Sam/Charly would've helped 3*

THE CONJURING: LAST RITES brings another Warren "case" to the big screen—this one tied to their early marriage, a difficult childbirth & in the '80s, a grown-up Judy fighting her "extra" senses. As a spooky film, there are some great tense moments & jump scares. Didn't recognize half the cameos 3*

JODHAA AKBAR isn't quite as rousing as Lagaan was, but it tells an interesting story about the arranged marriage between a Muslim emperor & Hindu princess to unite India. Roshan & Bachchan have good chemistry, especially that sword fight, but most everything outside their story felt unnecessary 3.5*

STRANGE DARLING gets 4* up front because everyone should see this as blind as possible. (You've seen it?) Loved Mollner's non-linear storytelling & who knew Ribisi could shoot such a good-looking film! Great performances from Fitzgerald & Gallner. Thrilling serial killer story that kept me guessing!

Billion Dollar Movies Ranked Can "Billion Dollar Box Office" be considered a genre? I'm saying yes! My ranking of all the movies that have grossed at least $1,000,000,000 Worldwide (according to Box Office Mojo)* Still unseen: De...

As soon as I saw TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION's runtime, I realized completing my Billion Dollar Movie Ranking wasn't worth it. Trading LaBeouf for Wahlberg & Fox for Beckham doesn't improve things. The only thing earning this a star is Tucci, who consistently made me laugh. Earn that paycheck 1*

Gyllenhaal is a baby in OCTOBER SKY—a feel-good story that hits all the necessary plot points. One death is telegraphed almost immediately but another came as a surprise. That shot of the elevator going down while looking up at the sky hit hard, but the von Braun actor needed another take 3.5*