What movies have you seen lately? Now with reviews!Movies

[Danoff]

Hmmmm funny Will Farrell movies.

Step Brothers
Talladega
Anchorman
Elf
Old school
Zoolander

That's nothing to be ashamed of. Some of the misses weren't bad either, like Kicking and Screaming and Blades of Glory. Neither was a good movie but they also weren't terrible. Somewhere in there was Stranger than Fiction too, which, while not funny, was still a credit to his resume.

 

[Touring Mars]

I watched a suitably long chunk of 'The Passion Of The Christ' last night, but didn't make it to the end as I was too tired (although I know how it ends anyway). I wasn't very impressed, and the film was spoiled a bit by some striking parallels to some other films, notably 'Jesus Christ Superstar', 'The Life Of Brian' and 'Braveheart'. Remarkably, Herod (portrayed in 'Jesus Christ Superstar' as a fat, afro-wearing, Lennon-spectacled, homosexual Jewish New Yorker) actually looked even more ridiculous in 'The Passion' than he did in 'Superstar'... the women folk in 'The Passion' couldn't have looked more like the women folk in 'The Life Of Brian' if they had called one of them Judith, and I kept expecting Jesus to turn around and say 'You may take my life, but you'll never take... MY FREEDOM!' in a William Wallace-esque show of defiance towards his Roman persecutors. Also, there were far too many 'knowing looks' cast toward Jesus throughout the film, supposedly to give we the viewers that sense of 'you know what, he really IS the son of God, wink wink'.

 

[Neal]

If you're feeling even more masochistic tonight you could watch Apocalypto or better yet go and find Mel Gibson and demand your money back

 

[DK]

Toy Story 3
I saw this yesterday, and I have to say I don't regret parting with €10 (plus the price of a 100g bag of popcorn and a 500ml bottle of Coke). The characters are well written and of course there are true tear-jerking moments. The movie has lost none of the charm of its predecessors. I don't know how Disney movies are cinematic diarrhea and yet Pixar movies are so good.
Score: 9/10

 

[Diego440]

Rant about not really 'getting' The Passion of the Christ.

You are aware that The Passion of the Christ is really a party-pooper remake of Life of Brian, right?

 

[Golfman]

Holy crap. Just seen what I regard to be the best vigilante movie ever, and the best British movie of the last 5 years. HARRY BROWN with Michael Caine must be the up there with the Italian Job and Get Carter in his career. This guy is such a brilliant actor. An old codger doing what many of us want to do these days - irradicate our towns of the skidmark little hoodies, druggies and general wee tossers that think they can do what they want just cos the justice system can't be arsed lifting a finger and putting them all where they deserve: tied up and gagged on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic which is wired to blow and sink.

To the Mods of this forum: I apologise about my language here. It's just that there were things in this film that hit close to home that I feel strongly about. There were people that I know who have been affected by these little ***** that run riot in our towns. Sorry again for my language. I hope you will forgive in this occasion.

 

[DK]

You are aware that The Passion of the Christ is really a party-pooper remake of Life of Brian, right?

I thought it was an anti-Semitic rant?

 

[Northstar]

@Golfman: I'm not one to judge, but it usually helps to put the movie title in bold so people know what movie you are talking about, especially as "Harry Brown" doesn't really sound like a movie title so it will blend in with the review leaving the reader confused as to what movie you are talking about.👍

 

[Golfman]

@Golfman: I'm not one to judge, but it usually helps to put the movie title in bold so people know what movie you are talking about, especially as "Harry Brown" doesn't really sound like a movie title so it will blend in with the review leaving the reader confused as to what movie you are talking about.👍

Okay, gotcha. Sorry, didn't think. I'd only just finished watching the film about 5 minutes before writing that post and frankly it left me shellshocked and thinking about what happened to the people I know. The film got me so worked up about the state of things these days.
If you now check, I have edited it to include the film title in bold.

 

[Diego440]

Dalkomhan Insaeng (a.k.a. A Bittersweet Life) (Ji-woon Kim, 2005) -- This is a revenge movie, pure and simple. Not of the same depth as Mr/Ms Vengeance, but very well done nonetheless. The first hour or so is a tad slow, though our (anti)hero is quite a cool character who only uses action when he needs to. This also adds to the incredible amounts of silence and non-action, which punctuated between the action sequences well. Unfortunately, because of that extreme silence and lack of action, some of the plot points are lost, as are the attempts at humor by the otherwise dumb characters. But, as a revenge movie, the plot and the action is all there. Very well choreographed action scenes, some very creative places to put the camera in and lots of violence. 7/10



House of Sand and Fog (Vadim Perelman, 2003) -- An abandoned wife is evicted from her house and starts a tragic conflict with her home's new owners, who are Iranian immigrants. Problems arise when the evictee gets into a relationship with a cop who starts harassing the new home's buyers. The big problem with this movie is that none of the characters are worthy of sympathy. There's a few instances when some of them are in danger of dying, and I couldn't help but hope something would come and put them out of their misery. Other than that, Ben Kingsley's acting is excellent as the Iranian father, Jennifer Connely's is pretty average. Be advised that this is an intense drama, just so you know. 6.5/10

 

[McLaren]

Hmmmm funny Will Farrell movies.

Step Brothers

Funny.

Talladega

Funny again.

Anchorman

Beyond stupid. Carell helped make it, though.

Elf

1 funny scene.

Old school

More of a Luke Wilson movie.

Zoolander

And more of a Ben Stiller movie.

I'm not going to say Will Farrell is a terrible actor or that, but on his own, he's not that funny. But, when he's got a partner or a major co-star, he really seems to hit every joke & I think it's because when he's with someone, he's always got something ready to say to them, as if they set up every one of his lines for a great 1 liner.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Golfman]

Another vigilante type movie I seen a few months ago that I loved. It was Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood. The master at work, pure class.

 

[Neal]

Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010)

Wow! I saw this last night at the new IMAX screen in Liverpool and it is without doubt the best cinema experience I've had in many years. It is best watching this film knowing as little as possible about the story and concept so I won't give any details here. There is a dedicated thread for it to discuss it further and there is plenty to discuss, I haven't stopped thinking about it yet and it's been the main topic of conversation between my wife and I! The special effects are sublime and completely awe inspiring whilst still being realistic which is an incredible achievement considering the scale of them, if you've seen a trailer you'll know what I mean. I have to give Nolan huge kudos for not shooting in 3D, which I feel distracts and detracts form most movies, and just concentrating on making a completely immersion movie. This was helped enormously by the IMAX experience with a huge wraparound screen filling your field of view and "laser aligned" surround sound with enough power to shake your seat with quite some force. If you haven't got an IMAX nearby I'd advise watching it on the biggest screen you can find.

It refreshing for a summer blockbuster to be based on a completely new idea and not be a remake or sequel although if Nolan does make another Inception movie I wouldn't hold it against him as it deserves to be explored further. This really is a must see movie and I will be getting it on Blu-ray as soon as it comes out which I don't often do. There's not much to fault it on and in my eyes it's a masterpiece and a classic. 10/10

 

[NotThePrez]

Collateral- In this movie, Jamie Foxx plays the role of a cab driver who must drive a cold-blooded hitman (Tom Cruise) around Los Angeles so he can kill witnesses testifying against an international crime lord. This has to be one of the best movies I've ever seen. Tom Cruises plays his role as a heartless assassin very well. It's a great action movie that does have good surprises. 9.5/10

Wangan Midnight: The Movie- This is a movie based on the anime and manga of the same name. In the movie, a student finds the remains of a totalled Datsun 240Z with an engine tuned to the extreme with Twin Turbochargers. After buying the car, he realizes that the car is known within the community as the "Devil Z." He then fixes up the car in hopes of challenging the Blackbird. The movie follows the anime pretty well, although there are a couple noticable changes. Most of these changes were probably made to keep the movie more up-to-date, as the original series was made in the 90's. Overall, I thought it was pretty good. 7.5/10

 

[Diego440]

Superman Returns (Bryan Singer, 2006) -- The man of Steel returns to reap all of the possible clichés he started in the original series, insult everyone's intelligence and fail to act. Geological inaccuracies and loads of continuity issues also didn't help the movie, though the overall message of how it's okay to go after married women really made me blush. Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor is laughable, though his is the ony good piece of acting. Possibly worst of all is that the movie's name is Superman Returns... Returns... as in he'd been here before, yet the movie is in many cases a remake of the original one. How long he's been gone is never clear, but people seemed to be a bit unimpressed that both Clark Kent and Superman decide to return at the same time and no one seemed to question that. Oh well, back to the drawing board with them and hopefuly they'll remake the remake and come back with something better. 4/10



Barbarella (Roger Vadim, 1968) -- Funnily enough, this movie was supposed to be a great success, and flopped miserably. The only good thing about it is that Jane Fonda is in it and she has a few nude parts, which though appealing to my inner pre-pubescent boy, are actually quite impressive when you take into account the censors and the fact that Fonda was shockingly beautiful and had an amazing body, which doesn't get very covered up throughout the whole movie. Other than that, the movie's plot is as absurd as the thought that it could be successful: in the far future, a highly sexual woman is tasked with finding and stopping the evil Durand-Durand. Along the way she encounters various unusual people, and manages to offer herself sexually to almost all of them, thus making the blueprint for almost every porn movie from then on. It still remains a movie worth watching, if only because it's so amusingly bad. 3.5/10



Zombieland (Ruben Fleischer, 2009) -- And in an amazing turn of events, this movie ends up being nothing short of seven kinds of awesome. It succeeds especially because it never tries to be anything else than a horror/comedy hybrid that excels in both counts. It's also insanely violent, but funny at the same time and always entertaining. Face it, it's quite predictable, as almost all of these zombie flicks are, but the movie delivers enough to realize you're not wasting your time. It also has what could very well be the best cameo of all time. 8/10

 

[Omnis]

Just saw 2012. What an AWFUL MOVIE. I have a headache.

 

[FoolKiller]

but people seemed to be a bit unimpressed that both Clark Kent and Superman decide to return at the same time and no one seemed to question that.

And glasses make for an effective disguise. The average citizen in the DC Universe isn't very smart to start with.

But if they take it as a sequel to the original films from the 80s I guess that you can point at the few times Lois attempted to connect that Clark disappeared every time Superman came around, only to have him then pull some Clark went out the door just as Superman flew in the window shenanigans.

 

[Diego440]

True, and it's a recurring thing with all Superman movies. I just thought the glasses made Christopher Reeve look different enough in the original movies, while this guy looks exactly the same with or without them.

 

[FoolKiller]

True, and it's a recurring thing with all Superman movies. I just thought the glasses made Christopher Reeve look different enough in the original movies, while this guy looks exactly the same with or without them.

It will always be a problem for Superman as long as they continue to maintain the secret identity thing. He doesn't wear a mask.

I think the problem is that the concept is based off of a 1930's idea, when glasses were huge bulky things that were effectively a mask, and could drastically alter your physical appearance. Not to mention that the way they were drawn on the dot pixelated comic page did make them an effective disguise.

Now, we are in an age of designer frames that are designed with the intent of being invisible. And no, switching how you part your hair doesn't work either.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010)10/10

I dont know anything about the movie but your review got me pumped. And I have heard a lot of positive feedback from those that have watched this movie. Might have to set up a date night and watch this over the weekend.

 

[Neal]

I dont know anything about the movie but your review got me pumped. And I have heard a lot of positive feedback from those that have watched this movie. Might have to set up a date night and watch this over the weekend.

You'll love it, just make sure you won't need the loo during the film as there's a lot going on and you need to concentrate Avoid spoilers at all costs, even the so called spoiler free reviews I've read and listened to since watching it would have revealed too much.

I really don't rate 3D but seeing it in imax was amazing so if you can make it to one then you should make the effort.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Probably wont watch it at the IMAX so hopefully it is just as good in the regular theaters. And yes I will avoid that thread.

 

[Neal]

Probably wont watch it at the IMAX so hopefully it is just as good in the regular theaters. And yes I will avoid that thread.

I don't think it will make a huge difference watching it on a normal screen and it's a big film so it's bound to be on the biggest screen. The queue when we went to watch it was ridiculous even at an early sitting so get there early.

 

[Northstar]

Public Enemy (2009)

It is the story of John Dillinger's final days and the FBI agents who are in charge of tracking him down. Johnny Depp(John Dillinger) and Christian Bale(FBI agent Melvin Purvis) are extremely good in this movie. It's a rather good biopic, but I feel it could have been much better than what it was. 7/10

Sin Nombre (2009)

The story of a girl from Honduras and a gang member who are immigrating to the US. It really does a good job showing the struggles that people encounter immigrating to the US(as far as I know). The acting is unbelievably good and the story is extremely good. I'm really kind of mad I waited so long to see this movie. There really is nothing I could think of that would make this movie better. 10/10

 

[Diego440]

Balls of Fury (Robert Ben Garant, 2007) -- Extremely below average comedy about a down-and-out former professional ping-pong player who is sucked into a maelstrom when the FBI recruits him for a secret mission. This unlikely hero is determined to bounce back and win, and to smoke out his father's killer. The movie is pretty much the poor man's Dodgeball, with nothing but very predictable, flat and lame jokes and about 10 mintes of decent and funny points. Christopher Walken is the only who does any decent acting, but his character is so stupid, it doesn't even deserve a mention. 2/10

 

[Sage]

Saw Inception tonight. Despite absolutely hating the basic premise of the plot (when are corporations not a scapegoat in a modern movie?), everything else was done so well that I loved it as a whole. Stunning visual effects, good writing (although I couldn’t hear some of the dialogue), and didn’t insult the intelligence of the audience.

 

[Diego440]

The Boat that Rocked (a.k.a. Pirate Radio) (Richard Curtis, 2009) -- This movie could be good or could be bad, depending on what you're looking for. If you're expecting a fun movie with a huge variety of music, about some really odd characters pursuing freedom of speech and acting fairly well, and some really nice imagery from the 60s, you won't be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you're looking for a thought-out movie with deep plot development, historical accuracy and consistency, look elsewhere.

In my opinion, many movies set in the 60s tend to suffer the same flawsy, but this one is almost based on that flaw, making it extremely flawed, and it's this: people in the 60s weren't nostalgic of the 60s! The screenplay's tendency to treat the 60s as an era that's been going on forever really irked me. The lead character is said to be 19 years old and doesn't know who his father is, and further implying (by other means) that his mother slept with every man she met, not because she was a tramp, but because it was the modern thing to do, with all the sex, drugs, and rock and roll. The only problem is that the kid would've been born in 1947, hardly the era of flower power and free love.

It doesn't work to have a film set in the 60s in which every character talks about the 60s as though they're nostalgic about it. So many characters acted as though they'd been living all their lives in the 60s, even if they were 50 years old! That's the main flaw with this movie, but it's a flaw that went with it throughout the entire 135 minutes it lasted and part of the reason why it doesn't score high with me. The other reason is that it's quite annoying and disgusting the way these guys slobbered over younger girls. 3/10

 

[PureAwesomeness]

Saw Inception tonight. Despite absolutely hating the basic premise of the plot (when are corporations not a scapegoat in a modern movie?), everything else was done so well that I loved it as a whole. Stunning visual effects, good writing (although I couldn’t hear some of the dialogue), and didn’t insult the intelligence of the audience.

Same here. Highly recommended.

 

[Northstar]

Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno) (2006)

The story of a young girl who is forced to live with her new stepfather. She than follows a fairy to a labyrinth where a magical faun gives her some tasks to complete if she wants to see her real father again. It's a really well done movie and really felt like a Disney movie made for grown ups. Problem is that even though the main story and acting are great there just isn't much to differentiate it from every other fairy tale movie except perhaps a lot more gore and the ending. This unfortunately led to the movie being a tad bland, although the secondary story does help in this area. It's a very good movie though, it just suffers from trying to be too much, mainly about 3 different moral messages. 6/10

 

[slackbladder]

I watched the Star Trek movie last night (the Reboot) on Blu-ray (very good PQ - excellent in fact) and against my better judgement I quite liked it. Not too fond of the Time Travelling story silliness (how many Star Trek films/shows have featured time travel?!) and the bad guy was kind of pointless. But it was fun. I could watch it again.