Last movie impressions

[RandomRob]

Originally Posted by crackajack

i don't have to like them, but they should be interesting, make some sense or whatever if the story itself is hardly as good as an average Monk or Columbo episode.

You've hit on something there, but remember those shows owe everything to films like Rear Window. You wouldnt have one without the other.

Again, I think you are judging the film as a thriller or a mystery.. it's neither. Its a piece about powerlessness and voyeurism, with alot of black humor.

What Hitchcock films do you like? Curious!

[crackajack]

Originally Posted by RandomRob

those shows owe everything to films like Rear Window.

I acknowledge that there are movies like this or The Sting or Killing or the original War of the Worlds ... but only because they were defining some film concepts they should entertain me the same way as modern films have to, but can't quite often.
I'm no nostalgia fan.

I think you are judging the film as a thriller or a mystery.. it's neither.

I judge films as entertainment or food for reflection and i found nothing good in both areas.
Out of curiosity i read Ebert's opinion and he wrote that it was released as entertainment and now is art. huh? Heighten something on a holy pedestal just because it's old, "started" something?
And i disagree with him on the suspense point. Cheap surprise might be usual for many teeny slasher crap films, but Rear Window is for me definitely nothing that is really suspenseful when compared to e.g. The Usual Suspects or Arlington Road.

What Hitchcock films do you like?

I'm not really sure i have seen many. Vertigo was the only one i like i can think of at the moment.
I don't like many movies from pre 60s era i think.
Modern Times, The Great Dictator, Battleship Potemkin, Giant, Gone with the wind and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?.

[crackajack]

Fast Track/ The Ex
Way too often it's terribly embarrassing.

Fuori dalle corde
A young boxer loosing one fight (apparently because the winner was predetermined), so he has to start again to get another fight. His sister supports his full time boxing career since years by working in a fish company, and hating it, her non existent life, depending on and demanding him winning finally an important fight.
He trains hard, but the fight gets canceled, his last chance to pay back their debts. So he accepts an offer to fight illegally, without rules.
There he is starting to loose even more...
The beginning was brilliant, although the chronological jump was a bit inelegantly done. The drama was intense and showing drastically that money rules the world. Even if you're talented you often have no chance.
But i didn't like the later half with Fight Club scenes and evil Croatian promoters and violence loving rich people or his friendship with a disillusioned fighter. It seemed to become dull, loosing the social element and becoming a kind of surreal violent movie about desperate people.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
ok to watch once

The Happening
The suicide scenes were spine-chilling, nature attacking their biggest threat is a great idea, but everything else was too often just strange and comical. Which i actually liked in the director's previous work, Lady in the Water, but seemed inappropriate for a movie that could have been real Horror with a point.
(Hope The Swarm movie gets better. Especially gets rid of the cheap second half.)

[JLB1987]

Yogi Bear 3D

I make no secret of occasionally sneaking in an alcohol into cinemas when I go, usually half a litre of Jagermeister or Vodka I can mix into my cola. All I can say is I regret not doing that for Yodi Bear 3D.

The best thing about this film was the Poison song, Nothing But A Good Time, being a part of the soundtrack. This is pretty low praise, as Poison were, by far, the worst of the 80's glam bands. I've got absolutely nothing good to say about this film whatsoever, other than it seemed to hold the attention of my partner's four year old child throughout most of it. But as everyone knows, children are stupid, and this certainly does not reflect on the quality of the film itself.

1/10, and it's lucky it's getting that.

[Bornie]

Originally Posted by JLB1987

Yogi Bear 3D


1/10, and it's lucky it's getting that.

Seriously... Who did convince you to watch that movie?

By the way, I saw Rango last saturday night, and it was a fine movie. I only missed the 3D, that are not available for that movie. But the story and the script are great. If you can, go to watch it!

[QXZ]

This is a bit late in the posting, but I saw Rango (Paramount, 2011) this past Friday, and I came away really liking it.

First things first: Rango is actually associated with the kid-friendly Nickelodeon -- yes, the same network to blame for introducing Spongebob Squarepants to the world. However, Rango is a PG film that I don't believe is suitable for anyone under 12.

The story revolves around an ordinary pet chameleon cum thespian accidentally coming upon the dilapidated desert town of Dirt, Nevada -- a town by anthropomorphic citizens. After coming up with a phony-baloney story at the local tavern about killing a gang of outlaws, he immediately gains the townsfolk's trust. Rango is soon assigned the role of sheriff. However, Dirt has been affected by a lack of water coming into the town, and Rango is determined to find out the cause of all this turmoil.

The only real downside I see with Rango is that it follows a typical storyline of "stranger gains public trust, stranger's bluff is called, townsfolk loses faith in stranger, stranger regains the town's trust and leads to victory". However, the story is much less of a parody of westerns than it is a socio-political satire over natural resources.

The real reason to go see Rango is the animation, which was produced by Industrial Light & Magic. The film looks AMAZING, and if it doesn't trump Pixar's output in recent years, IL&M provides very stiff competition.

Rango gets an A-.

[crackajack]

Eagle Eye
The idea of a computer [spoiler]replacing the entire government because constitution allows it[/spoiler] is interesting, but the action plot was too hard trying including some clever turns with strange characters and almost funny seriousness.
I liked Enemy of the State much more.

[RandomRob]

Planet of the Apes (1968) BluRay

still excellent

[QXZ]

Originally Posted by crackajack

Eagle Eye
The idea of a computer replacing the entire government because constitution allows it is interesting, but the action plot was too hard trying including some clever turns with strange characters and almost funny seriousness.re.

I saw this one a couple years ago, and I honestly believe Eagle Eye is an epic failure from A to Z. Truly one of the worst films I've ever forced myself to sit through.

[crackajack]

Twilight
Smallville with an Anne Rice makeover.
Don't know why it is hyped so much. Actually i like vampire stories and romantic movies, but here it felt sort of stiff.
At least that baseball match was better than the quidditch bullshit in every Harry Potter movie.

[Li-Ion]

The Mechanic
Below-average Statham movie. Takes itself too serious. However, it made me want to finally play through Hitman: Blood Money. A game the writers for sure also played quite a bit.

[crackajack]

Revanche (2008)
If it would not be a so sad movie i would have been delighted.
Watch it!

The World's Fastest Indian
Another great movie. About the spice of life: danger/risks, and the philosophy that the journey is the reward.

[RandomRob]

Originally Posted by crackajack

The World's Fastest Indian
Another great movie. About the spice of life: danger/risks, and the philosophy that the journey is the reward.

Yes, wonderful film!

[QXZ]

Shaun of the Dead

I'm not all that keen to British humor or zombie flicks -- mainly because I tend to avoid horror movies -- but I didn't like this film one bit. Shaun of the Dead has two things that I didn't want to see in this film: It plays itself with too much of a straight face, and the characters themselves start off rather bland, but ultimately turn into complete f*ckwits. As the film neared its conclusion, I was ultimately rooting for the zombies.

I'm giving Shaun of the Dead a slightly charitable D.

[Li-Ion]

The Fighter - great movie, deserves all the praise it gets. I usually make fun of Mark Wahlberg but he actually can act if he wants to. I just wonder why he doesn't seem to bother in most movies? Christian Bale is amazing and Amy Adams as well. If you don't have some sort of pathologic hatred against boxing or families you should watch this movie.

The Adjustment Bureau - interesting premise but falls flat in the end. It gets pretty flat around the middle already. I can't put my finger on it but the longer the movie went on, the more I got bored. I had the feeling the director realized somewhere halfway that he only has a script for a 1 hour movie but needs to fill two. The trailer was also a bit misleading. I expected Matt Damon to do what he usually does - running over rooftops - and while there is some running involved its not much on rooftops. A slight disappointment on that part.

Flags of Our Fathers - quite good movie, should be watched in conjunction with Letters from Iwo Jima. Didn't really blow me away but maybe I just saw too many WW2 movies from the US standpoint already?