Movies you've seen recently

[Blarghagh]

I thought it needed to cut out more stuff that was actually in the book. Both the trolls and the stone giants were, storywise, completely unneccesary and dragged on. And the songs did not feel at all natural, it was like the movie turned into a musical all of the sudden with all the choreographed plate throwing. Awful. The Hobbit book simply does not work as a film - it's a series of random things, trying to have a sequential story out of it practically requires you change everything.

 

tl;dr version: It would have been a far worse movie had they been true to the source.

[Amentep]

Does Rikki Tikki Tavi count as a movie, or a TV show? At any rate, I watched this again for the first time in ages and ages. I remember loving it (and the story) as a kid. As I watched it, however, I started to frown because my memory of it and what I was actually seeing did not jibe at all. It's still great, don't get me wrong, but man...I know time blurs things, but it's like even the animation of the cobra fight, and even Rikki's coat color that I remember...it's all wrong.

 

It's weird and makes me slightly sad.

 

It was, IIRC, broadcast as a TV movie.  Chuck Jones was the director and I've always liked it. 

 

Its possible you either remember a different version or - at least in relation to Rikki's coat color - that your TV may have been experiencing issues.

 

Return of the Living Dead. I have come to the conclusion that all 80s horror movies require a woman to show ****.

 

Pretty sure that dates earlier than that.  A lot of the later Hammer Horror films (late 60s, early 70s) are guaranteed to have some woman spilling out of her bodice (they loved period pieces) or otherwise unclad (for example Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires, Twins of Evil, Vampire Circus, Satanic Rites of Dracula).  And as the drive-ins tried to pack teens/20-year-olds in the 70s would jam some sex/nudity in almost every low-budget horror film (and some of the big budget ones).

 

I watched Puppet Master IX: Axis of Evil which was a fun return to killer puppets vs Nazis.  But who in their right mind thought to set the movie in 1939 with the US involved in WWII?

Edited October 28, 2013 by Amentep

[Rosbjerg]

It's one of the reason why I love campy 70s Sci-fi, it's practically soft-core.

[sorophx]

 

I think I left behind Michael Moore since I tend to find inflammatory rhetoric distasteful nowadays, he always assumes his position is the moral high ground and starts preaching from it. I think I would find him more appealing if he actually bothered to do documentaries presenting all angles from an issue

 

hmmm, so you watch documentaries from the informational point of view only. that's pretty boring in a lot of cases. I watch Moore's films for his point of view

[Meshugger]

 

I don't see Moore getting back his popularity as he did before. He seems to be a product of the time, ten years ago. While he still has his fans, I haven't bothered watching anything after Fahrenheit 9/11 and moved on. Maybe because I'm apathetic to a lot of issues now. :/

"Apathy is death"

 

I think I left behind Michael Moore since I tend to find inflammatory rhetoric distasteful nowadays, he always assumes his position is the moral high ground and starts preaching from it. I think I would find him more appealing if he actually bothered to do documentaries presenting all angles from an issue, whenever a subject is clearly just or immoral there is no need for preaching as the story tells itself. But rather than actual reporting Michael Moore seems to just stand in front of places, screaming until he is asked to leave the premises and he is lead away with a smug look on his face as if that proved his point. If his point were that he is annoying then I guess he has reason to be smug.

 

 

I think anything by Frederick Wiseman is right up your alley. No dialogue, no narration, just the camera rolling.

[Labadal]

The Departed.

 

Probably the 7th time I've seen this.

[JFSOCC]

2 guns.

It was an alright action flick. Mark Wahlberg is a great actor, always a fan of his performances. Denzel Washington is good as always.

[Amentep]

X-Men: Days of Future Past Trailer:

 

[Oerwinde]

X-Men: Days of Future Past Trailer:

 

 

I wish Matthew Vaughn was still doing this.

 

Also, reportedly, Ben Kingsley is reprising his role from Iron Man 3 in a Marvel One Shot (short film) that's supposedly has the real Mandarin confront him about his name and image being stolen.

Edited October 29, 2013 by Oerwinde

[Blarghagh]

I like Singer's X-Men movies better than Vaughn's X-Men movie. First Class had good acting and casting but zero pacing and the action sequences that weren't a joke by itself looked like one. The performances carried that movie but other than that it was a movie in which either nothing happened or stupid stuff happened.

 

No disrespect to Vaughn, he's fantastic. I just didn't think his X-Men movie was all that good. People only like it because it's out-sucked by far by Wolverine: Origins and The Last Stand.

 

That being said, this movie already looks uneven and it's only the teaser. The present day scenes look pretty good, but everything in the future looks cheap. The costumes, the sets, the lighting.

Edited October 29, 2013 by TrueNeutral

[HoonDing]

Ellen Page is Kitty Pryde again? I'm in.

 

Not too excited about Kai Leng's appearance though.

Edited October 29, 2013 by Drudanae

[obyknven]

http://youtu.be/3yQy3my0xR4

[LadyCrimson]

So I suppose most of you have seen it already, but I was watching the Captain America sequel trailer (below). I had two reactions.

One: "Wait, what, is that Robert Redford?" and Two: "I'm getting tired of the giant CGI ship (or boat, or robot, or whatever) that crashes into the ground from great height in semi-slow-mo." Not just in Marvel pics, I mean in all action pics. That said...I might watch it when it comes to VoD, since I saw the first.

[Walsingham]

Two: "I'm getting tired of the giant CGI ship (or boat, or robot, or whatever) that crashes into the ground from great height in semi-slow-mo."

 

Somewhere there's a special effects guy, standing on his deck, smoking a moderately priced cigar and sipping 12 scotch, thinking "Man, am I ever lucky I specialised in giant complex objects crashing. I am set for life."

 

And YOU want horrible things for him.

 

For shame, LC. For shame.

[Tale]

I like Singer's X-Men movies better than Vaughn's X-Men movie. First Class had good acting and casting but zero pacing and the action sequences that weren't a joke by itself looked like one. The performances carried that movie but other than that it was a movie in which either nothing happened or stupid stuff happened.

The only particularly good action scene in either of Singer's X-Men movies was with Nightcrawler. Storm-Toad, Mystique-Wolverine, Woverine-Lady Deathstrike were like watching B-movies to me.

 

First Class I see as the best film of any of them. It's the one with real characterizations and growth, and it's not just a vehicle for Wolverine to slash at stuff.

 

Really looking forward to all the Marvel movie's planned. Winter Soldier has me surprised that they're going to go with the Captain America being willing to rebel route. Though I think the "Winter Soldier" part is not going to give it much time to develop.

 

In the comics, Captain America's particular "rebellions" tended to coincide with a political message. And while it would definitely be topical in the current climate, it seems too much of politics for Marvel films. Still, I expect Winter Soldier to put the entire thing on the backburner anyway. I don't see both of them developing and the action where he fights a dude, then has personal drama, will win out.

[kgambit]

Monster University 

[Tale]

Saw Ender's Game. Needed to be more than one movie, really. Lots of violations of show, don't tell, with tons of narration from Ender on what's going on. Half of the narration seems redundant with things on-screen and the other half seems like it only exists to make up for the parts they don't have time to show. And the speed of the movie really ends up hurting the characterization, you don't have time to see why he becomes the way he is, and you don't even see enough of him to know that any of it's growth and change.

[Serrano]

The Departed.

 

Probably the 7th time I've seen this.

 

You should see the Infernal Affairs trilogy that The Departed was based on. Departed was a good film but it was a hatchet job compared the source material which were so well made and are some of the best movies I have ever seen. Part 1 will be basically the same, still worth watching for context but parts 2 and 3 were more or less untouched and part 2 especially is my favourite film of all time. 

 

Edited November 2, 2013 by Serrano

[Serrano]

Saw Ender's Game. Needed to be more than one movie, really. Lots of violations of show, don't tell, with tons of narration from Ender on what's going on. Half of the narration seems redundant with things on-screen and the other half seems like it only exists to make up for the parts they don't have time to show. And the speed of the movie really ends up hurting the characterization, you don't have time to see why he becomes the way he is, and you don't even see enough of him to know that any of it's growth and change.

 

So despite years of fighting it Ender's Game did turn out to be the movie Orson Scott Card didn't want them to make? That's a shame. The Shadow series if they decide to make sequels will probably translate a lot more easily though. 

[Tale]

I didn't like it, but I don't hate it, I don't see it as if it's some lazy cash-in. They definitely made a fair effort, but as a big fan of the book, I can't help but wish they'd done much better.

[Gorgon]

I'm about to watch this 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7Qo74_L3vo

[Walsingham]

I'm about to watch this 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7Qo74_L3vo

 

I love that movie. I wonder where my copy is?

[HoonDing]

So I suppose most of you have seen it already, but I was watching the Captain America sequel trailer (below). I had two reactions.

One: "Wait, what, is that Robert Redford?" and Two: "I'm getting tired of the giant CGI ship (or boat, or robot, or whatever) that crashes into the ground from great height in semi-slow-mo." Not just in Marvel pics, I mean in all action pics. That said...I might watch it when it comes to VoD, since I saw the first.

 

That reminds me, I still need to see Iron Man 3.

[Volourn]

Last Vegas: I thought this be an okay movie carried by strong actors but this was really really good despite it hitting all the obvious stuff. I never cared for any of the stupid Hnagover movies (never saw more than a few minutes through mainly commercials) and I was willing to write this off as a copy cat but it's really good in its own right. 8/10

[JFSOCC]

I watched limitless for like the 6th time. I love that movie. It's one of those movies which allows you to imagine "what if", and since I spend most of my time dreaming, that's right up my alley.