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

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Super 8 - I guess this was supposed to be J. J. Abrams version of Close Encounters or something. And really, it was a great movie, despite having Kyle Chandler in it. (It does star Elle Fanning, though. Too young for me, but probably the best actor in the movie.) The main problem is while the concept art for the creature looks really awesome, the final product was a little unimpressive and came out looking like General Grievous (Star Wars) and Garrus (Mass Effect Triology) has a crazy love child. Which KINDA makes sense, since ILM did all the special effects. So...other than the not-so-scary monster, it was a pretty cool film. (Although there are some major plot holes and a couple things that seem like a little kid would come up with....which is fine. But...yeah...if you're in a car that get's it head on by a train...you die...there is nothing left of you or the car to be used to further the plot. No spoilers, just a weak plot device.)

And 4/5 or a 8/10.


Tom Servo
You are aware that everything you just said is your opinion, right?
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Umm...after reading what followed this question, I am not entirely sure who you are asking. Yes, it is my opinion...so...why did you find it necessary to continue for three paragraphs after this first sentence?

Besides, you're Tom Servo. Isn't it your job to find the cheesy plot holes in movies and exploit them?
 
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I watched Chris Rock stand up comedy. I forget which one, but the picture is him looking kind of like James Bond. It was pretty funny. A lot of the jokes I didn't really laugh but just had a smile than he would tell a hilarious one that made you laugh so much. Chris Rock is always funny and this one didn't disappoint.

I also watched Katt Williams pimpcronicles part 1. This is so funny. Has to be one of the funniest stand ups out there. I watches part 2 before I saw part 1 and it wasn't as good. Part 2 had jokes by a bunch of his friends that were hit or miss. Part 1 is is classic comedy non stop.
 
SuperShouden
Super 8 - Besides, you're Tom Servo. Isn't it your job to find the cheesy plot holes in movies and exploit them?
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Sometimes it is. I was just statig the fact that despite you're saying that Coen Bros. movies are bad, it's amazing how so many of them are in the Top 250, so I wouldn't classifiy them as bad, really.


Anyway, speaking of the Top 250, I finally saw this:



Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo (a.k.a. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) (Sergio Leone, 1966) -- A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery, making out probably the best movie ever made, after The Godfather.

(fuill review soon)
 
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Tom Servo
Sometimes it is. I was just statig the fact that despite you're saying that Coen Bros. movies are bad, it's amazing how so many of them are in the Top 250, so I wouldn't classifiy them as bad, really.
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But it's my opinion. And being in the Top whatever doesn't make something good. Just look at Justin Bieber. He's one of the top artists in the country, but is he good?

Essentially what you're trying to say is that my opinion sucks. But you know what, it's my opinion. I don't care what anyone else thinks. Everyone has their own tastes, and mine isn't for Coen Brothers movies. I'm not going to apologize for it.

Seriously, I keep thinking this forum allows for freedom of opinion, but it seems like, every time I state my opinion someone has a problem with it. But, the way I see, that's their problem.
 
That's the price of being able to have an opinion, some may agree, but others won't, and it's their equal freedom of expression to say so! I like some Coen bros movies, others not so much.

Now Super 8, have to say I wasn't too impressed. Really wanted to be, was hoping it would be more about the kids making a zombie movie... ended up feeling like a whole bunch of inexplicable crap thrown together for surprise factor. Often pretty, but not a great story, and even given a healthy dose of fantasy "suspension of disbelief", not very believable. And not great acting, but not the fault of the actors.

Edit: Coen, not Cohen, as in Leonard...
 
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Quick fact about Super 8: The yellow car in the movie was a Buick Skylark (and I think the green car was also a Buick). Buick used to make a car back in the 40s-50s called a Super 8. (I believe the car had an I8 engine.)

This movie had a lot of play on worlds with "Super 8" in that movie.
 
It's the internet, if you don't want your opinions argued with, you should't log on :p
 
Saw Super 8 the other day. Wasn't what I was expecting, based on the preview trailer but it was still a good movie. JJ Abrams is a good director but his so called monster movies are annoying to watch. Just like Cloverfield, you don't see the monster/alien until the last few minutes of the movie. I have Hanna coming in the mail tomorrow through Netflix. Heard good things about that movie.
 
Watched Quarantine and Red Sands on an app called Crackle on my IPod Touch.
 
Just watched Happy Feet 2. Okay... despite its flaws, I loved Happy Feet. But this one, despite enjoying some of the numbers and scenes... well, let's start:

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Happy Feet 2 (2011)

In this sequel to the Oscar-winning original, Emperor Penguins Mumble "Happy Feet" and Gloria have a son named Erik, who, like his father did in the first movie, is feeling sort of like an outcast or misfit. Dad Mumble, on the other flipper, is trying to come to terms with parenthood and his inability to relate to his son, despite their shared experiences and anxieties.

Well, that's the premise, but the story is all over the place, involving icebergs of doom, a penguin that can fly (though adults in the audience will be chuckling at the conceit once they see him), Ramon's first true love and krill. Lots and lots of krill. Lots of them being eaten, and two who are just sick of the whole thing.

Suffice to say, there's so much going on that you hardly have time to connect to any of the characters. And there are times when it seems like nothing is going on at all, and they're just waddling around waiting for the next part of the movie.

Don't get me wrong. There are some likeable characters in this movie and the music is, at times, wonderful, but it lacks the focus and drive of the first movie. There's no epic journey to undertake (90% of the movie is at the Emperor's mother nest), there are no new creatures to meet (except for Sven and the krill) and the movie retreads a lot of the same ground, with even more awkward parenting moments than the first movie (seriously... who wants to see proper crisis intervention for family squabbles in a kid's movie? This isn't a therapy training session!)

The music is also pretty uneven. In the original, the songs were bent around to fit the movie. I loved the penguin mating ritual, where two penguins would find each other by figuring out which songs were the best "mash-up". There were no songs without a purpose, whether it be to introduce a character or segue between scenes, or create a mood for the scene. In Happy Feet 2, there are songs that are just there for seemingly no reason at all.. and they just go on waaaay too long.

One is "Bridge of Light" by Gloria, a song that not only was not put in to fit a scene, but in which an entire, useless scene was created simply to feature it. The other is that irritating aria by Erik, with adapted lyrics that are so bad that they seem like they came off a cereal box. Then there's that useless "We are the Champions" solo...

There are snatches of light... the "Under Pressure" scene fit the ethos of the first movie perfectly in matching music to mood, and "Rhythm Nation" was reminiscent of the start of the first movie. But when the most memorable parts of a movie are the existential musings and antics of a pair of krill (think "Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern" playing in the background of "Hamlet", except with good guys), then you know there's something fundamentally wrong with the rest of the show.

Movie Score:

5/10 for the plot

6/10 for the music, sadly

7/10 for the CGI

9/10 for the krill
 
Crazy stupid love
Steve Carrell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone
Pro: Steve Carrell proves he can be in an funny movie! And it has a touch of an drama. Pretty Entertaining.
Cons: Nothing really special
7,5/10

The ides of march
George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Evan Rachel Wood
Pro: Realistic story about politics, an pretty slow movie but with believable characters.
Cons: Sometimes a little too slow? Directing also not so interesting
8,0/10

Drive
Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Ron Perlman
Pro: It's a very slow movie, yet very tense, beautiful shots, extreme good acting and directing. It is also very graphical. Very good 80's feel to it
Cons: The only thing, the trailer of the movie's sell an different movie, it seems.
9,0/10

Dont be afraid of the dark
Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce
Pro: Atmosphere was very creepy, combined with enough thrills. Acting was pretty good.
Cons: Story is not surprising in anyway, you know what is gonna next all the time, yet it does scare at some points. A lot of plot holes and strange decisions by the main characters.
6,5/10
 
Watched Warrior last night. Probably one of my favorite films of the year. Very realistic MMA scenes and great acting by the entire cast. Tom Hardy especially gives more proof that he is one of the best actors out there.
 
Got my copy of "Le Mans" in the mail yesterday. 👍

There's no arguing McQueen had the right idea on capturing the essence of the race and the struggles drivers deal with, and it was quite something to watch pit crews working a mere 2 cars lengths away from where the machines were blowing by with no barriers in between. The camera work was solid as well, the side-mounted camera footage on the Porsche 917 was eye-candy in its purest motor sport form.

As far as sound goes, it's just a shame the technology at the time the film was made didn't do justice to the symphony of power the cars created, they sound glorious in some of the on board and chase scenes down Hunaudières, but other times the engines completely overwhelm the microphones available back in the day, but there's not much to be done about that. Blu-ray and a decent home theater improve the experience, but only so much.
Also, and this is just me nitpicking, the heartbeat sound effect as the clock counted down to the start of the race didn't feel like it was executed quite right, though I love the idea of building up the tension, as the entire world boils down to that moment when the French flag is waved. Also we can overlook the fact that the climax of the movie features the longest ever lap around the Circuit de la Sarthe ever seen by man. :lol:

Plot wise I felt the story handled McQueen's guilt over the loss of Lisa's husband well enough, and it gives the movie a much needed human touch and, something most racing movies nowadays don't know anything about: acting! It was also good to see the unspoken fear racing wives/girlfriends have, so the film eventually makes itself interesting to most members of the audience.
I liked that the rivalry between Delaney (McQueen) and Stahler (Siegfried Rauch) was touched upon only enough to make the audience understand how friction between drivers happens on and off the course. Not all driver conflicts are like Senna vs. Prost, and that's what most modern racing movies don't get.

Overall I quite enjoyed the retro feel of the film and the way most elements of the racing world weren't overly exaggerated for Hollywood purposes.

Some people might argue the film is just a documentary about a race with some bits of movie script spliced in it, but that's the genius of it. It doesn't cram in a plot that just falls flat on its face and takes up time that can be used to focus on the racing element, but it does offer a view of the humanity that's present on and off the track. Just the way it should be.
 
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Sleek Stratos
Got my copy of "Le Mans" in the mail yesterday. 👍

There's no arguing McQueen had the right idea on capturing the essence of the race and the struggles drivers deal with, and it was quite something to watch pit crews working a mere 2 cars lengths away from where the machines were blowing by with no barriers in between. The camera work was solid as well, the side-mounted camera footage on the the Porsche 917 was eye-candy in its purest motor sport form.

As far as sound goes, it's just a shame the technology at the time the film was made didn't do justice to the symphony of power the cars created, they sound glorious in some of the on board and chase scenes down Hunaudières, but other times the engines completely overwhelm the microphones available back in the day, but there's not much to be done about that. Blu-ray and a decent home theater improve the experience, but only so much.
Also, and this is just me nitpicking, the heartbeat sound effect as the clock counted down to the start of the race didn't feel like it was executed quite right, though I love the idea of building up the tension, as the entire world boils down to that moment when the French flag is waved. Also we can overlook the fact that the climax of the movie features the longest ever lap around the Circuit de la Sarthe ever seen by man. :lol:

Plot wise I felt the story handled McQueen's guilt over the loss of Lisa's husband well enough, and it gives the movie a much needed human touch and, something most racing movies nowadays don't know anything about: acting! It was also good to see the unspoken fear racing wives/girlfriends have, so the film eventually makes itself interesting to most members of the audience.
I liked that the rivalry between Delaney (McQueen) and Stahler (Siegfried Rauch) was touched upon only enough to make the audience understand how friction between drivers happens on and off the course. Not all driver conflicts are like Senna vs. Prost, and that's what most modern racing movies don't get.

Overall I quite enjoyed the retro feel of the film and the way most elements of the racing world weren't overly exaggerated for Hollywood purposes.

Some people might argue the film is just a documentary about a race with some bits of movie script spliced in it, but that's the genius of it. It doesn't cram in a plot that just falls flat on its face and takes up time that can be used to focus on the racing element, but it does offer a view of the humanity that's present on and off the track. Just the way it should be.
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That sounds like a good movie I wanna watch that now.
 
As a standard, everyday film, it's ok (considering it's about 40 years old and has little plot to it) as far as racing films go however, you'll have a hard time finding something better, besides maybe "Grand Prix", which is my next BD acquisition actually.
 
Yeah, Grand Prix was good. James Garner! I'll have to check out Le Mans. Just watched the original Italian Job recently, don't remember if I mentioned it here, great fun movie, and the birth of the Mini craze.

Also in the process of rewatching Star Wars. Intend to finally sit through eps 1-3 just for the sake of thoroughness. Unfortunately I'm watching the remastered ones which add in all the CGI beasties, which feels very out of place for me.

Edit: one funny thought about IV, why do you need a trash compactor in space?
 
Cowboys & Aliens - Another great comic book movie. I really don't have many negative things to say about it. The acting was great, the action was great, the story was awesome...Just a really great movie. 10/10
 
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Has to be amongst my personal all-time greatest movies. It's amazing how this movie throws the emotions from humor to sadness. Maybe it's because I watched it so late, but no other movie got me so close to the edge of crying than this movie when Carter had a feeling he was going to die and had Edward complete the list. That scene just completely destroyed me.
 
SuperShouden
Cowboys & Aliens - Another great comic book movie. I really don't have many negative things to say about it. The acting was great, the action was great, the story was awesome...Just a really great movie. 10/10
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Yeah, girl from Tron was hot, good acting, but the story was weak. I couldn't watch it all the way through. 5/10 at best.

Edit: okay, done with IV-VI, all as good as I remember, minus the 2004 "improvements..." Just finishing Phantom Menace, gawd, what crap. At least as bad as I remember it from when I lined up to see it at midnight release date, 3/10.

Edit 2: Seriously one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I hate it. Make that 2/10 at best. Rotten writing, rotten directing, rotten effects, and wtf was Lucas thinking with all the racist BS. Totally got under my skin.
 
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The aliens were my biggest problem with Cowboys and Aliens. They looked a lot like Rancors and the hidden hands stole ideas from like eight movies. (Aliens, Dragonheart, ID4....and those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.) And...I still have no idea how the dog made it through the entire movie.
 


Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo (a.k.a. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) (Sergio Leone, 1966) -- A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery, making out probably the best movie ever made, after The Godfather. I wasn't sure what to say about this movie, since it's a true classic and I'm sure everything's been said about it already, but since the thread now has reviews (!) I'll add my two cents to it.

Not only is this the greatest spaghetti Western movie of all time, I wouldn't doubt placing it in the Top 10 of history either, being at almost 3 hours long, and yet I could still watch it over and over. The music is perfect, and the way it drives the movie is superb (kudos to Enio Morricone for that one), plus Sergio Leone's directing is probably among the best in history as well. The showdown in the end is something I can recall to perfect detail, and acts as the expected but surprising conclusion of a story that never has a dull moment. All three actors play their roles perfectly and work well in making this movie such a hypnotic masterpiece, with great violence and still retaining its art. NO doubts as to why it's #4 in IMDb's Top 250. 10/10



The Sting (George Roy Hill, 1973) -- In 1930s Chicago, a young con man seeking revenge for his murdered partner teams up with a master of the big con to win a fortune from a criminal banker. One of the great con movies where the viewer is also ocassionally conned, amking it entertaining and mysterious at the same time. Great work on the details of the period and the piano score is unmistakable. As it often happens with con movies, you have to watch it more than once to relish in all the details you surely missed the first time around. But this movie is probably the greatest of the Redford-Newman collaborations, with scenes that never lose their punch, it also happens to be #96 in IMDb's Top 250. 9.5/10
 
Ha ha, you've been spoiling yourself! Nice to hear from you again!

Meanwhile I've been punishing myself. Watched Star Wars II and III to complete the series. To be honest, neither were nearly as bad as I. Still shameful to the memory of the originals, but respectable 6/10 or 7/10 efforts.

Also, got my mom and her man-friend to watch The Big Lebowski, classic 8.5 or 9/10, both enjoyed it.
 
I caught TBL the other day on TV... watched it, even if it was plagued by 4-minute commercial breaks and dubbed in Spanish.... hearing The Dude called 'El Nota' was odd.
 
Maybe it's just the fact that I haven't seen it in a while, but... I don't remember Episode I being all that bad. :p
 
I really liked Episode I when it came out. But of course I was only 8 in 1999.

I don't care how much of a Star Wars fan you are, or how much you hated Phantom Menace. You had to have been impressed with the lightsaber battle between Qui Gon/Obi-Wan and Darth Maul.
 
SuperShouden
The aliens were my biggest problem with Cowboys and Aliens. They looked a lot like Rancors and the hidden hands stole ideas from like eight movies. (Aliens, Dragonheart, ID4....and those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head.) And...I still have no idea how the dog made it through the entire movie.
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Since this isn't the first recent alien design you have had issue with I will point this out.

Despite who the special effects studio is creature designs are very often like musical composition; there are a handful of guys at the top of their field who are used by many movies in a small time frame. And most of those are/were inspired by the big names before them. It is why 30 years later movie music could easily be mistaken as being composed by John Williams of the early 80s and creature designs still look like H.R. Giger is involved.
 
jeffgoddin
Watched Star Wars II and III to complete the series. To be honest, neither were nearly as bad as I. Still shameful to the memory of the originals, but respectable 6/10 or 7/10 efforts.
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I always fall asleep when trying to watch Star Wars movies, I just don't have the conditioning to struggle through movies I'm not really interested in.
 
Vandenal
I always fall asleep when trying to watch Star Wars movies, I just don't have the conditioning to struggle through movies I'm not really interested in.
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I was first going to go with the Picard-Riker double facepalm, but using a different franchise did not make sense.

slice_star_wars_stormtrooper_facepalm_01.jpg


I guess to each their own though . . .
 
VashTheStampede
I was first going to go with the Picard-Riker double facepalm, but using a different franchise did not make sense.

slice_star_wars_stormtrooper_facepalm_01.jpg


I guess to each their own though . . .
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I just find them boring. Can't help it.
 
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