Movies you've seen recently

[LadyCrimson]

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It was "free" so last night we tried to watch a movie called Wreckage. This decision was entirely made because Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) was in it. The cable menu description was sort of thrill/suspense sounding. It started off all right with a couple of quick prologues. By the half hour mark I realized it was just a horror film, and not a very good one - although there was a bit of cheeky cliche humor. Aaron Paul did his usual loud-mouthed brash idiot routine then disappeared (along with some other chrs) once the so-called plot kicked in. We didn't stick around to see if he returned. Turned it off.

[Rosbjerg]

Just finished watching Side Effects.. Pretty good actually.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Hobo with a shotgun.

[Gfted1]

This is the End. Actually had me laughing out loud.

[Amentep]

MACHETE KILLS - yes, yes he does.  And often.  I'd say its a little more outrageous than the first one and about as fun, but I'd give the edge to the first one.  Still its great fun to watch the sequel and all of the crazyness in it.

 

PUPPET MASTER V - we pick up after the events of Four with a direct sequel.  It starts off with a "what happens legally after a horror movie happens" bit of business with the new puppet master getting into trouble with the police; this procedural element gets dropped as an uber-Totem is brought forther by Sekhmet and one of the new puppet master's superiors decides to try to steal the puppets (who, naturally, defend themselves).  Then another showdown with puppet vs super-Totem.  I enjoyed it, probably not as much as IV (but I bet these were filmed at the same time).  Felt like they could have done more with the premise than they did even if it still comes off okay.

[JFSOCC]

I watched Gattaca, because I'm going past a list of IMDB top 250 movies which I haven't seen before. Day before I watched 12 angry men.

Both are excellent films, although for Gattaca you have to accept the premise that eugenics leads to discrimination, and I can think of several arguments why it would not.

[Raithe]

This is the End. Actually had me laughing out loud.

 

Worth it for Emma Watson's appearance with a fire axe I think...

[ShadySands]

White House Down - I wasn't expecting much but it was decent, cheesy, splodey fun diversion

[Walsingham]

Watched

 

Moulin Rouge

 

Far superior impact compared with when I first saw it. I think the hype set the expectation way too high. With a lower expectation the set pieces had far more explosive furore, the jokes were funnier, and being older I'm more forgiving of the songs.

 

X-Men, First Class (iirc)

 

Acceptable. Good performances from the male leads elevate a damned silly plot.

Edited October 14, 2013 by Walsingham

[Gfted1]

 

This is the End. Actually had me laughing out loud.

 

Worth it for Emma Watson's appearance with a fire axe I think...

 

Yeah, shes beautiful. Would have been nice to

run into her character again after they left the house.

 

[Blarghagh]

The Conjuring. Not an original moment in it, but overcomes that by being terrific and scary. The pacing is perfect.

[Amentep]

Oz, the Great and Powerful. Enjoyed it again. I like how they make the character multifaceted and really work through their character to make the story connect.

[Monte Carlo]

Commando. Watching the adventures of Col. John Matrix never gets old.

[Amentep]

Puppet Master VI: Curse of the Puppet Master

 

Not a good film; confused continuity, poor character development, and a rubbish end.

[kgambit]

Pacific Rim. (rental - based on some of the comments here I wasn't buying it and sure wasn't paying full theatre ticket prices for it)

 

Above average.  All I was expecting was some big freaking mech warriors against oversized monsters with decent effects and decent action. And that's exactly what I got.

Liked the Jaegars a lot more than the Kaiju.  

[sorophx]

meh, the only good movie about giant robots is RobotJox. this would mean we were screwed, but there are many animated films to save the giant robot genre (personally I think Pacific Rim is just a silly NGE ripoff )

[Gorgon]

Pacific Rim. (rental - based on some of the comments here I wasn't buying it and sure wasn't paying full theatre ticket prices for it)

 

Above average.  All I was expecting was some big freaking mech warriors against oversized monsters with decent effects and decent action. And that's exactly what I got.

Liked the Jaegars a lot more than the Kaiju.  

I thought the mechs were pretty disapointing. Designwize.

[Labadal]

Sinister.

 

That was an interesting movie. Should show it to the kids in school when they are not doing what they are supposed to. 

[Woldan]

Rush.

What a marvelous movie, excellent oscar-worthy acting by Hemsworth and Brühl, most realistic racing scenes I've ever seen outside real races and Niki Laudas accident scene plus the painful aftermath in the hospital made me shed a manly tear. The director also managed to make the entire film thrilling and interesting, which is a quite a feat for a film thats mainly about racing. (all the previous racing movies I've seen just royally sucked)

Being a fan of the old F1 days and an Austrian made my movie experience all the sweeter. 

[LadyCrimson]

We'll probably rent Pacific Rim sometime this weekend. I'm not expecting much, but I'm in the mood for loud mindless action and I'm curious.

[Lord of Lost Socks]

Due to a few discussion in games and with some of my friends I've decided to put into words why this movie is good. Might aswell share it here.

 

 

 

 

Conan the Barbarian (1982) - Movie Review by Lord of Lost Socks (includes spoilers)

“Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!”

http://youtu.be/xteoc9zrC2w

Plot:

The plot of the movie centers on the barbarian archetype Conan the Cimmerian. Cimmerian’s are a warrior people that live far to the north of where the majority of the movie takes place.

In the introduction we are introduced to the young Conan and his tribe and family. His father tells him of the Enigma of Steel, a.k.a. the riddle of steel. When doing this he is referring to how man found the mastery of steel after a great battle between the gods, led by Crom(the god of the Cimmerians that lives under a mountain), and giants. Soon after this Conan’s entire tribe is killed by a group of men wielding a banner with twin serpents. Conan himself is sold to slavery were he spends his entire teenage years and early adulthood doing slave labor that hardens his muscles.

After this he is sold yet again to a group of men looking for a new fighter for their arena. Conan, strong as he is, survives better than expected and is rewarded with advanced combat training by his masters.

Conan eventually escapes and finds an ancient tomb with a throne upon which rests a skeleton clutching a sword. Conan refers to the skeleton as Crom and takes the sword. After this Conan earns plenty of riches through adventure while at the same time trying to find the men who murdered his tribe. He eventually tracks down the men to a cult that uses the very same banner and is given a quest by a king to rescue the king’s daughter that has been seduced by the cultists. His friend Subotai and his love Valeria consider it too dangerous, but Conan driven by the need to avenge his tribe leaves alone in the night.

During his attempt to rescue the daughter and find information on the murderers, Conan meets Thulsa Doom, the leader of the snake cult. In a memorable scene, Thulsa Doom and Conan(who is badly wounded) share this great dialogue:

 

 

Conan: You killed my mother! You killed my father, you killed my people! You took my father's sword... ah -
Thulsa Doom: Ah. It must have been when I was younger. There was a time, boy, when I searched for steel, when steel meant more to me than gold or jewels.
Conan: The riddle... of steel.
Thulsa Doom: Yes! You know what it is, don't you boy? Shall I tell you? It's the least I can do. Steel isn't strong, boy, flesh is stronger! Look around you. There, on the rocks; a beautiful girl. Come to me, my child...
[Thulsa Doom coaxes the girl to jump to her death]
Thulsa Doom: That is strength, boy! That is power! What is steel compared to the hand that wields it?

 

 

 

 

Conan is eventually joined by his friends again and by a new character referred to only as the Wizard and together they eventually take down the cult and rescue the king’s daughter. Valeria, on the other hand, dies in the attempt. The scene where the leader of the cult is killed is hauntingly good. Thulsa Doom attempts to convince Conan not to kill him, using his powers of persuasion the same way he had charmed all his followers. Conan does not fall under his spell and kills him, proving that Thulsa’s understanding of the riddle of steel was not enough to stop Conan. The cultists who consider him a god see his head get cut off and thrown down the stairs. Realizing how wrong they were all the cultists leave quietly grieving and ashamed.
 

Here is the final scene:

 

 

 

Visuals:

The filming is great and throughout the movie it feels like a true high-budget movie, especially if you watch the Blu-ray version. You can barely tell it’s filmed in the 80s.

The graphical effects for the most part hold up incredibly well, considering the movies age. There is only scene that I can think of where the special effects are a tad odd, and that’s the scene where spirits are trying to steal Conan’s soul. Otherwise, the magic in the movie is actually incredibly low-key, to the movie’s credit. There are no fireball-hurling wizards here. Conan’s friend, the wizard primarily performs only ritualistic magic, while Thulsa Doom does simple things like turning a snake to a poisonous arrow.

The costume design of the movie is also top notch quality, though the style might seem extremely 80s to some. However, this style was already set partly in place in the Conan art designs and was after Conan the Barbarian copied a lot. Conan is still to this day, the quintessential Barbarian. Personally, I really enjoy the costumes, they’re really metal, except maybe for a few goofy helmets, but even those I whole-heartedly accept.

The fighting scenes are for the most part well-choreographed and are most enjoyable to watch. The scenery in this movie is also beautiful and it really gives the movie a sense of scale and wonder along with the, for the most part well thought out sets.

Audio:

The soundtrack of this movie is in my opinion one of the best ever created. It sets the tone perfectly for “high adventure”. It is a great orchestral score created by Basil Poledouris.

Acting:

The acting is perhaps the weakest part in the movie. It is not exactly bad. Arnold Schwarzenegger does a fantastic job as Conan. Indeed, it’s probably Arnold at his best. He fits perfectly, due to his accent and weak grasp of English. It is just what you’d expect from a northerner that has received no education and spent most of his life as a slave or a pit fighter. Perhaps the weakest performance in the movie is that of Valeria, simply because she does nothing to distinguish herself. It’s competent, but nothing special. The Wizard plays the role of the hermit extremely well, and I knew I recognized his voice from somewhere, and it turns out he’s the voice of Aku in Samurai Jack (among many other things), my favourite cartoon as a kid. He is also the narrator/chronicler of the entire movie.

However, hands down the best performance of the movie actually comes from the king, who only has one scene, but he performs it to near perfection.

Just watch:

Dialogue:

There really isn’t that much dialogue in this movie, compared to others. I suspect it’s partly because of Arnold’s weak English, but I don’t know. However, what little dialogue there is is practically instant classics. They are simple, but very powerful, and therefore easy to remember. Conan doesn’t philosophize, and when he does, he does it in a very down to earth fashion, fitting his character.

Here’s a selection of memorable quotes:

 

Conan: What gods do you pray to?
Subotai: I pray to the four winds... and you?
Conan: To Crom... but I seldom pray to him, he doesn't listen.
Subotai: [chuckles] What good is he then? Ah, it's just as I've always said.
Conan: He is strong! If I die, I have to go before him, and he will ask me, "What is the riddle of steel?" If I don't know it, he will cast me out of Valhalla and laugh at me. That's Crom, strong on his mountain!
Subotai: Ah, my god is greater.
Conan: [chuckles] Crom laughs at your four winds. He laughs from his mountain.
Subotai: My god is stronger. He is the everlasting sky! Your god lives underneath him.
[Conan shoots Subotai a skeptical look. Subotai laughs]

Conan: Crom, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you, will remember if we were good men or bad. Why we fought, or why we died. All that matters is that two stood against many. That's what's important! Valor pleases you, Crom... so grant me one request. Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, then to HELL with you!

Conan's Father: Fire and wind come from the sky, from the gods of the sky. But Crom is your god, Crom and he lives in the earth. Once, giants lived in the Earth, Conan. And in the darkness of chaos, they fooled Crom, and they took from him the enigma of steel. Crom was angered. And the Earth shook. Fire and wind struck down these giants, and they threw their bodies into the waters, but in their rage, the gods forgot the secret of steel and left it on the battlefield. We who found it are just men. Not gods. Not giants. Just men. The secret of steel has always carried with it a mystery. You must learn its riddle, Conan. You must learn its discipline. For no one - no one in this world can you trust. Not men, not women, not beasts.
[Points to sword]
Conan's Father: This you can trust.

Mongol General: Hao! Dai ye! We won again! This is good, but what is best in life?
Mongol: The open steppe, fleet horse, falcons at your wrist, and the wind in your hair.
Mongol General: Wrong! Conan! What is best in life?
Conan: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.
Mongol General: That is good! That is good.

Epilogue: So, did Conan return the wayward daughter of King Osric to her home. And having no further concern, he and his companions sought adventure in the West. Many wars and feuds did Conan fight. Honor and fear were heaped upon his name and, in time, he became a king by his own hand... And this story shall also be told.

 

Personal Opinion:

So, as you may have noticed, I really like this movie. I’d put it in my top 5 movies of all time. It is a bit cliché to modern eyes, but it’s cliché because this movie made it cliché. It’s like faulting Tolkien for being too generic. Keep in mind, Conan and Lord of the Rings was first conceived around the same time. Conan, in my opinion is equally ground-breaking as Tolkien’s work, though perhaps a lower class of literature perhaps of lesser quality (assuming you care).

I recommend anyone who hasn’t seen this movie, to watch it. It was the standard that other fantasy movies strived to reach until Lord of the Rings was released and still holds up incredibly well. The worst case scenario is that you will find it incredibly campy, but really funny. Either way, you should definitely see it.

I’ll do a short write-up of the failures of Conan the Destroyer if people are interested. Thank you if you managed to make it this far!

Edited October 19, 2013 by Lord of Lost Socks

[Rosbjerg]

I think you put more thought into this that they did the movie - but I agree, it's awesome.

[ManifestedISO]

So the weirdest thing happened with Pacific Rim. I watched it first and didn't really love it. Like I mean, a waste of a script. Then I learned it's a genre movie ... designed purely for fun. So I changed my expectations of plot, dialogue, and character--the pesky grown-up things I thought were critical--and tried it again. All of a sudden, I had the best time. Like a kid again, watching Condorman.     

[LadyCrimson]

Pacific Rim - well, it's a loud movie. I'm glad I didn't see it in the theater with today's screechy, stuff-cotton-in-my-ears, treble-boosted speaker mega systems. Liked the action stuff/visuals and the unexpected humor bits. Since I wasn't expecting anything awesome, I found it fairly entertaining. Not exciting or awe inspiring (even with the nice combat visuals) and of course full of every cliche for this type of movie ever,  but entertaining.

[JFSOCC]

I watched the eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. I'd been putting it off because I feared a regular romantic comedy, but it turned out really well.