Rate The Last Movie You Watched

[JetsIn06]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Saw the new Lego Movie yesterday. Everyone in our group was disappointed. It was one of those movies where literally all the funny lines were in the trailer. It dragged on far too long and felt like they were trying to weave it all together. It failed miserably.

I have to say I can't disagree more.

[nol]

The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) 8.5/10

Oscar-nominated Italian language film is like Fellini meets David Lynch. The main character (don't know the actor, but he was phenomenal) wrote a well-received novel when he was in his twenties, but is now in his mid-sixties with only that work to his name as he has settled into a life as a socialite/cultural critic in Rome, where he takes comfort and pleasure from the scene while also sort of existing outside it and recognizing its frivolity. Then, he gets some news that makes him start considering his legacy and doing some soul searching.

It definitely goes big on the theme (life/death, love/loss, surface/deep pleasures, and so on) and delivers for the most part. A little on the long side at around 2 1/2 hours, but it's so beautifully shot and the main character is someone you can't keep your eyes off of as almost every single line he says is sharp and well-thought-out.

[Buccaneer]

I've watched Diango twice in the past week and while I really like some of acting and dialogues, there is something that still bothers me. The movie is so full of anachronisms and obvious geographical mistakes that I can't figure out if they were done on purpose or is Tarantino really that lazy and stupid. I can appreciate homages to 60s/70s movie genres but it seems that along as he can be hip and violent about it, then the rest are just insignificant details. For example, it starts off saying that 1858 was two years before the civil war. Is stating something factually wrong a snide point or just ignorance? I also can appreciate filming in interesting locations but shouldn't they at least make sense? This is not a low budget picture and they did film in the delta region, so why stick in locales that were so out of place as if being lazy about continuity was some clever trick?

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

The Lego Movie - 9/10: I haven't laughed a movie so hard in a while, and I was going in with high expectations (when Rotten Tomatoes has it at like 96% being the main reason I wanted to go). Great voice acting! Fantastic skewering of modern blockbusters and a very satisfying twist! Well worth all the accolades and more.

I can't believe I'm saying this about movies and ISiddiqui, but I completely agree with you, especially the twist, which I did not see coming, but it fit so well in with that film.

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Saw the new Lego Movie yesterday. Everyone in our group was disappointed. It was one of those movies where literally all the funny lines were in the trailer. It dragged on far too long and felt like they were trying to weave it all together. It failed miserably.

We must not have watched the same movie, because it was one of the better animated films I've seen in the past year or so.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

I've watched Diango twice in the past week and while I really like some of acting and dialogues, there is something that still bothers me. The movie is so full of anachronisms and obvious geographical mistakes that I can't figure out if they were done on purpose or is Tarantino really that lazy and stupid. I can appreciate homages to 60s/70s movie genres but it seems that along as he can be hip and violent about it, then the rest are just insignificant details. For example, it starts off saying that 1858 was two years before the civil war. Is stating something factually wrong a snide point or just ignorance? I also can appreciate filming in interesting locations but shouldn't they at least make sense? This is not a low budget picture and they did film in the delta region, so why stick in locales that were so out of place as if being lazy about continuity was some clever trick?

While shots weren't fired until 1861, the War started in 1860 with either South Carolina leaving or Lincoln winning -- take your pick.

[Lathum]

Saw the Lego Movie today. Both wife and I found it very underwhelming and my son was pretty disinterested. A few funny moments, but pretty meh over all. I foulf Wreck it Ralph to be far more humorous, witty, and creative.

[PurdueBrad]

I'm pretty torn on the Lego Movie. We took my son yesterday for his 5th birthday and it was the rare film where he struggled to stay interested. The wife and I thought it was okay (most of the best parts were in the commercials as someone else said) and a bit slow although the end (about the last 10 minutes) was really well done.

I do have to say that of my seniors that have seen it (I teach high school), all 13 said it was pretty good.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Noises Off! (1992) - 7.5/10
Michael Caine plays the director of a theatrical performance trying to make its way to Broadway while his (and his performers') off-stage drama threatens to derail the whole thing. John Ritter, Christopher Reeve and Carol Burnett are some of the players. This is a slapstick comedy from the beginning (as is the theater production they perform in the movie) with pretty good writing and fantastic timing. After watching the majority of the first act via a dress/technical rehearsal with only Michael Caine as the "audience," most of the rest of the film takes place backstage while performances are going on - you get to catch the actors interacting with each other between trips on stage. The whole time, you can hear the "on stage" actors calling out their lines from the other side of the set, and they're all coming back and forth through the doors constantly.

The movie feels a trifle long, and while it does a great job of building up the train wreck, the end wraps up really quickly and mostly off-camera, which is a little off-putting. That being said, many laugh-out-loud moments, and I'd watch it again happily. Reminded me a lot of Clue.

[cartman]

The Lego Movie - 8.5/10
I took my nieces (7 and 9) and my cousin's boys (8 and 11) to see the movie when I was in Ft. Worth this weekend. We all thought it was great.

In case this might be a spoiler:

Spoiler

Both of the older kids told the younger ones that the end of the movie is why they shouldn't get to play with their Legos.

[ISiddiqui]

Captain Phillips - 7/10: A pretty good movie, with some good tension in the last third, but the middle of it draaaaaged quite a bit. Hanks and Abdi did some fantastic acting as well!

[molson]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Noises Off! (1992) - 7.5/10
Michael Caine plays the director of a theatrical performance trying to make its way to Broadway while his (and his performers') off-stage drama threatens to derail the whole thing. John Ritter, Christopher Reeve and Carol Burnett are some of the players. This is a slapstick comedy from the beginning (as is the theater production they perform in the movie) with pretty good writing and fantastic timing. After watching the majority of the first act via a dress/technical rehearsal with only Michael Caine as the "audience," most of the rest of the film takes place backstage while performances are going on - you get to catch the actors interacting with each other between trips on stage. The whole time, you can hear the "on stage" actors calling out their lines from the other side of the set, and they're all coming back and forth through the doors constantly.

The movie feels a trifle long, and while it does a great job of building up the train wreck, the end wraps up really quickly and mostly off-camera, which is a little off-putting. That being said, many laugh-out-loud moments, and I'd watch it again happily. Reminded me a lot of Clue.

I saw this performed at the Idaho Shakespeare festival last year and loved it. I always wondered how well it would translate to movie form, so I'll have to check this out. I'm sure the A-list actors add something, but you probably lose something from it being on a TV screen and edited, as opposed to all that crazy timing occurring right in front of you with no safety net.

[Groundhog]

The Counselor - 2/10

One of the reasons I love Tarantino's films so much are the long, monologue scenes he usually includes. In many cases they are completely uneccessary and don't do anything to further the plot, but they fit so neatly into the crazy little worlds he crafts.

The Counselor, to me, felt like a movie that tried to take these little Tarantino-esque moments and make a whole movie out of them - a few actions scenes aside. I was taught when writing anything that you should always show your audience rather than tell. This is an experiment in doing the opposite. For every clever or interesting bit of dialogue, there was 20-25 mins of drek.

The 2 points go solely towards the Diaz/windscreen cleaning dialogue/scene, which was the only thing in the movie that worked.

[ISiddiqui]

Her - 9.5/10: Fantastic, fantastic movie! It was basically a happier version of a Phillip K. Dick story - I loved the blending of what is real feeling and a real relationship. Joaquin Phoenix was utterly amazing and so was Scarlett Johansson even though it was just her voice. It was just an utterly thoughprovoking and fascinating view as to what is reality. Also what a realistic potential near future, where everyone is on their phone and chatting with the virtual assistant than the people around them. Brilliant.

[GrantDawg]

American Hustle- 5/10: My wife and I went to the movies last night. I had to pick her up intown Atlanta after her recert classes, and we didn't want to fight traffic to head home. Instead, we went to Phipps Plaza. The plan was to eat and go see Veronica Mars. Unfortunately, VM was sold out at 7, so we went to the only other movie playing that we were interested in seeing. It was not great. I had high hopes, but it just seemed flat to me. The only high point in the movie was Jennifer Lawrence. She was brilliant. We actually left a few minutes before the end to go see the 10 o'clock showing of...

Veronica Mars- 8.5/10: If you haven't watched the show, go do that now. The whole series is on Amazon Prime streaming now. We binge watched it last month, and just couldn't get enough. Smart, funny. Little twist that sometimes you could see, and sometimes you couldn't. "Buffy" without the vampires is a good description.
The movie is very much a 2 hour extended episode. Amazingly though, after 10 years, they all fell right back into it. It was everything the show was (and could be again. Both the show runner and Kristen Bell are willing to return to the show. Amazon or Netflix would be smart to give them a 10-12 show series return). I left the movie wanting more. It isn't Oscar-worthy or anything, but great entertainment.

[Buccaneer]

Got a bunch of movies yesterday that I've wanted to watch. The first was

Ted - 7/10 I had high expectations for this and while it was good, there were more serious and dark moments than I expected. I absolutely loved the Flash Gordon parts since I was obsessed with that movie and its music when I was in college.

[Karlifornia]

The Grand Budapest Hotel- 7.5/10 Some funny moments, some nice scenery. I really wish Wes Anderson would at least try to mix it up a little bit, but I guess that's what makes him Wes Anderson.

[revrew]

Need for Speed - 5.0

This, for me, is the perfect definition of a mid-range, 5 out of 10 movie. It's entertaining enough to watch, not so bad that you groan or mock it, but having really very little of anything good to commend it for. It was a decent diversion, and I don't regret "wasting my life" or money catching it, but I'm not going to remember it or care tomorrow. And I'm OK every once in a while watching a film that's just kind of fun and nothing more.

[JediKooter]

Non-Stop - Solid 6

Snakes on a Plane? Nope. Taken on a Plane? Nope. Qui Gon on a Plane? Nope again. Plot Holes on a Plane? Possibly. Over all, not really a bad movie, but does require you to not to question certain things to maintain your suspension of disbelief. This movie falls smack dab in the category of "Dumb Popcorn Movies", but, I found it entertaining to say the least and it did have a decent twist to it. I caught this movie on a $5 Tuesday showing, so I didn't feel like I was robbed, but, for others who have standards set too high or on a budget, wait for it to hit the video circuit.

300: Rise of an Empire - 4

Should have been called 300: In Need of an Orthodontist or 300: That's How Many Motivational Speeches Are Going to be Heard.

On the plus, you do get to see Eva Greens bewbs. On the negative, you get to see Eva Greens bewbs. If you like your men, bare chested and as smooth as a 12 year old boy, this movie is definitely for you. I saw the 2D version and as I suspect of all 3D movies, it's just a bunch of blood being thrown at you and in 2D, it's just distracting. Every time I heard the word "Spartan", I was hoping the Master Chief would show up and kill everyone. Overall, it was just, meh and unless you are a big fan of the graphic novel, I wouldn't waste your time seeing this.

[Buccaneer]

continuing on...

Inglorious Basterds - 7/10 I have seen most of this movie previously and now saw the whole thing. I mainly watched it for Christopher Waltz's performance, esp. after seeing Django. Truly a delightful actor.

Now You See Me - 9/10 This one took me by surprise since I didn't recall this being a summer 2013 movie. Really didn't know anything about this despite my love for magic, magic revealed and heists/thrillers. The movie, at least to me, kept me interested and guessing till the very end wondering what the next plot twist was going to be. Highly entertaining movie.

[PilotMan]

Nebraska - 8/10 Nominated for a whole lot. Bruce Dern was really good playing an old curmudgeon. Movie looks like a Drama, but it has a bit of dark humor in it as well. It's a sad tale about family, aging and expectations in life. I really like these movies where you can't really see what's coming next. The movie just kind of takes you along for the ride.

[chadritt]

Veronica Mars - 8/10 Its relevant to point out that Im a fan of the series and I gave money to the Kickstarter but i really liked it a lot and I think even non fans would enjoy it. Its not as good as season one but it was good enough that I would love for the show to come back and they definitely plant seeds for future plots. Good balance between fan-service and advancing the plot too.

Edit: Warning for new viewers: The opening WILL give away all of the season 1 mystery

[JediKooter]

Robocop - 5/10

Well, it was just ok. Wasn't really a fan of the guy that played Alex Murphy/Robocop, but, Commissioner Gordon and Batman actually do a damn fine job in my opinion. Jackie Early Haley, of Damnation Alley fame, also does a journeyman's job and Samuel L. Jackson nails it at being an over the top pundit. First off, not even close to being as violent as the original, but, I still have to wonder about the mom and dad that decided to bring their 3 kids, the oldest kid maybe being 7 years old. So in between hearing a toddler cry and fuss, I watched a very mediocre movie with a lot of slow parts. I didn't go into it expecting much, so I wasn't really disappointed. Save your money though and wait for it via some cheaper medium.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by chadritt

Veronica Mars - 8/10 Its relevant to point out that Im a fan of the series and I gave money to the Kickstarter but i really liked it a lot and I think even non fans would enjoy it. Its not as good as season one but it was good enough that I would love for the show to come back and they definitely plant seeds for future plots. Good balance between fan-service and advancing the plot too.

Edit: Warning for new viewers: The opening WILL give away all of the season 1 mystery

Agreed. Very enjoyable for fans of the show.

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by PilotMan

Nebraska - 8/10 Nominated for a whole lot. Bruce Dern was really good playing an old curmudgeon. Movie looks like a Drama, but it has a bit of dark humor in it as well. It's a sad tale about family, aging and expectations in life. I really like these movies where you can't really see what's coming next. The movie just kind of takes you along for the ride.

Loved this movie. Some really good laughs, and an incredibly authentic recreation of small town middle america. I have lived in towns like the ones depicted in this movie almost my whole life, and the people and general look of everything really hit home for me.

I also thought it was cool that Butters' grandma had a role with heavy cursing. She's such a cute old lady, but man she has a mouth like a sailor. I love it.

[ISiddiqui]

Frozen - 5/10: I just don't get the love (and neither did my girlfriend, who loves 'for kids' movies). The songs were forgettable (aside from "Let it Go"), the characters annoying, especially Jar Jar Olaf, the story cheesy, and the villain forgettable. Meh, all around. I'm just glad I saw it on RedBox rather than in the theater.

[Buccaneer]

Social Network - 6/10 As much as I am into tech history, this one was a bit jarring. I don't know if it's because I am not a believer in facebook (appalled by its casual approach to security and privacy), though I tend to enjoy movies on their own merit. Good performances but I know I would enjoy movies about Jobs, Google or Amazon (if they make the last two) more.

The Fighter - 8.5/10 Just in the opening 5 minutes, I had to check imdb three times just to be certain that it was Christian Bale. I absolutely love acting performances that you can't believe it's a certain actor (as oppose to actors basically playing themselves). Mark Wahlberg, a favorite of mine, plays it pretty flat but that was more true to character. But the best part can be summed up in two words: Amy Adams.

[korme]

Mud is on Netflix. Everyone go check it out.

[JediKooter]

Noah - 7.5/10

Not a bad movie overall. I would have given it higher rating, but, it ran a bit long in my opinion. Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly were outstanding and Hermoine from Harry Potter wasn't too bad either. However, the Watchers were my favorite. I was worried they weren't going to make the final cut of the movie as there was talk about taking them out before Mickey brought down his Axe of Downsizing at ILM, so I never found out what happened to them until tonight. This was one of the last movies I was somewhat involved with before we were all laid off, so it was kind of special to finally get to see it.

The movie had great cinematography, great acting and some really good visual effects. I found the movie entertaining, though a bit long, but I would recommend it and would see it again in theaters.

[Matthean]

My Bible thumping uncle not surprisingly hated it.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by molson

I saw this performed at the Idaho Shakespeare festival last year and loved it. I always wondered how well it would translate to movie form, so I'll have to check this out. I'm sure the A-list actors add something, but you probably lose something from it being on a TV screen and edited, as opposed to all that crazy timing occurring right in front of you with no safety net.

I'd imagine if performed well, it would be fantastic live. I'll have to keep my eyes open to see if it hits any stages near me. Unfortunately, I'm not holding my breath.

[JediKooter]

Originally Posted by Matthean

My Bible thumping uncle not surprisingly hated it.

I can definitely see where if someone has a certain way the story of Noah goes in their minds, wouldn't like it.

[fantom1979]

My recent list:

The Lego Movie: 5/10. To me, this movie was not very interesting and dragged horribly until the last 10 or 15 minutes.

American Hustle: 4/10. I really thought this movie was trying really hard to be something special. It just didn't flow well at all for me. There was several times during the movie that I caught myself no longer watching the movie and thinking about other things.

Captain Phillips: 7/10. There were definitely parts of this movie that slowed down, but overall I thought is was very well done. Much better than I expected for a movie based off such a recent event.

Jobs: 5/10. I love tech movies (Pirates of Silicon Valley, Social Network, etc), so it would be hard to completely blow it. At no point during this movie did I stop seeing Ashton Kutcher, and start seeing Steve Jobs (unlike Noah Wyle in Pirates). At parts, the movie seems more like a parody than a biography. I thought it was strange that the movie seemed to completely ignore the NEXT/Pixar years, and spent very little time in the post iMac era.

The Last Stand: 4/10. If you are tired late at night and just want to see things blow up and watch Arnold be Arnold, this movie is for you. If you go into this movie with the right frame of mind, it is fine.

Gravity: 8/10. This movie ended up being much more interesting than I thought it would be. Like 'Cast Away' in space, I thought Sandra Bullock pulled off a pretty good performance considering that she was by herself most of the movie. Pretty amazing how she can pull off roles like this while also doing movies like 'The Heat'.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by revrew

Now You See Me - 8 out of 10

Fun, intelligent, full of twists, very entertaining. The actors aren't "stretched" at all in this, as they just play the parts these actors always do (Jesse Eisenberg is brilliant but manic, Woody Harrelson is a smartass, Morgan Freeman is a curious voice of quiet wisdom, etc), but the story and the magic elements are a lot of fun, particularly for the casual fan of magic.

The movie is a "see it once" only type, however, as I saw it a second time with my wife, and after seeing how all the tricks are done, the movie just isn't as interesting the second time through.

Which is funny because I just watched it for the 7th time in two weeks.

Continuing my recent theme of Boston-area movies (after Ted and The Fighter), I watched Affleck's The Town - 8/10. Thought it was a well done movie, perhaps a little too much shoot-em-up. But I heard there's a 4(?) hour version of the movie which I would be curious about.

[Buccaneer]

I love this time of year as a lot of the really good winter movies come out on DVD. The ones I am anxious to get and watch are:

Gravity
Saving Mr. Banks
Wolf of Wall Street
American Hustle
Mud
Dallas Buyers Club
12 Years a Slave

[ISiddiqui]

Wolf of Wall Street - 8/10: A fun movie and definitely a lot of laughs involved. I thought it very very brilliantly showed the depravity of the stock broker class. As Belfort's father said in the film - "It's obscene". And Belfort himself, when he goes to jail, says "I forgot, I am rich" (or something like that). I thought it really showed how morally depraved those with the money are and how they really didn't care about stealing from ordinary folk. Leo did a great job in the title role. I think it did go on a bit overlong.

And the other thing that bothered me wasn't necessarily in the film itself, but my girlfriend pointed out that to her it seemed like it glorified the rich lifestyle. Where I saw decadence and repulsiveness, she saw it as glorification. I've also heard others express this belief and if that's the case, then perhaps Scorcese was a bit too subtle than I thought he was being.

[ISiddiqui]

also:

Dallas Buyers Club - 9/10: Fantastic film. Wonderful acting by Leto and McConaughey, and I finally realize what everyone was saying about McConaughey's role for all this time. Well deserved Oscar. The story was incredibly well done as well and very powerful. I'm shocked this didn't get an Academy Award nom for Best Picture.

The Grand Budapest Hotel - 7/10: Wes Anderson gonna Wes. I tend to really enjoy Wes Anderson, but I think this was a step back after the wonderful Moonrise Kingdom. The story was fairly uninteresting to me, but the acting was very well done and the style was a gorgeous and magical as ever (yes, I love the Wes Anderson style so very much). It was meticulous and well directed, but there was definitely something missing for me.

[PilotMan]

Frozen - 6.5/10: It was good, and good in that old Disney way. I don't know how better to explain it. It was a little girly for the larger Disney audience, but the animations were excellent. I'm don't think it deserved the "OMG THIS MOVIE WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!!" praise that I've heard in some reviews but it kept my attention throughout and had some funny moments.

[stevew]

Man of Steel-WTF, dunno even how to rate it. By the end the ultra violence was just so absurd. They 9/11'd metropolis like 65 times over. All this destruction is so redundant and I think I'm just done with super hero movies in general. The stakes are ludicrous now, we've seen worlds already almost destroyed and now we need more worlds etc.

I'll give it like a 3/10 or something. At least 45 minutes too long.

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

I love this time of year as a lot of the really good winter movies come out on DVD. The ones I am anxious to get and watch are:

Gravity
Saving Mr. Banks
Wolf of Wall Street
American Hustle
Mud
Dallas Buyers Club
12 Years a Slave

I thought Gravity was basically on the level of Avatar:In Space as far as quality of story.. There basically isn't one, and the effects are left to carry the day. It's ok if you really love effects, but even on a huge screen I felt like they weren't as impressive as the story was crappy, which left me with a bad taste. I was hoping for something grandiose and believable within reason, but in the end it felt like a cliche story stretched to the absolute limits of believability and wrapped in a space suit.

Wolf of Wall Street, Mud and Dallas Buyers Club are all really good films IMO. Wolf is so energetic, so busy and so fast paced you never really feel the time pass. Pure entertainment. Plus, it's Scorsese. Hard to find many films in his portfolio that I couldn't watch and enjoy. Dallas Buyers Club has one of the most engaging stories I have seen, and despite what I have heard some people say, the movie felt really authentic in every aspect, and may be the only film I have ever seen Jennifer Garner in and not wanted to hit myself with a hammer.

I may or may not ever see Saving Mr. Banks or 12 Years a Slave, their subject matter is either not interesting to me (Banks) or just annoying to know that it is part of human history (Slavery/Holocaust films are just hard for me to get interested in for these reasons, unless the history is re-written like Tarantino has done recently)

Haven't seen American Hustle yet although I have a copy. Having a hard time bringing myself to watch Bradley Cooper in a really stupid looking wig.

[ISiddiqui]

Let me offer contrary opinion . Gravity is still my favorite movie of 2013. Yes, it's fantastic in effects, and in IMAX 3D, I consider it to be the greatest cinematic experience I've ever had. But a simple, straightforward story doesn't mean that there isn't one. It tells its story very, very well in its 1.5 hr run time. It's about survival and the will to live and it does a great job with that.

IMO, that's much better than movies that were overlong like Captain Philips, and yes, Wolf of Wall Street.

Mud and Dallas Buyers Club were great movies and with that and Wolf of Wall Street its fun to see how many different roles McConaughey can live in within one movie year and all of them are different and all of them are acted phenomenally.

Saving Mr. Banks, btw, was a complete surprise. I was expecting ho hum and got a wonderfully engaging story.

12 Years a Slave is what you'd expect, with some great acting roles and American Hustle is a fun film with amazing acting.

[ISiddiqui]

Noah - 9/10: A fantastic film! Aronofsky has indicated that the movie was a 'midrash', which is basically a story that attempts to explains the Biblical narrative by filling in the gaps. The story of Noah in Genesis is only but a few chapters, but Aronofsky tells a wonderful story filling in those gaps and trying to figure out what the story is really trying to tell us. Yes, it deviates somewhat from the Biblical narrative (most specifically, Bible Noah tries to invite people in, but no one wants in, while movie Noah tries to keep the wicked out), but the reasons for it are well realized. I think the movie is also very good in discussing how God speaks to us and our interpretations of what God says to us, and how clinging to an interpretation can lead to very powerful moral dilemmas. Powerful stuff!

Crowe was great in the role, as was Emma Watson in her role as Noah's adopted daughter. The Watchers were well done and explained. The visuals showing Creation was quite well done and mesmerizing (and I'm certain led to plenty of complaints by conservative Christians - as it showed an evolutionary creationism).

[Suicane75]

Her: 67 Out Of 100 Stars
This fucker really twisted me around. On one hand there is some brilliant writing in this movie when it comes to relationships and how we interact with each other on a caudry of levels. On the other hand it's a man in love with a computer.

Set sometime in the future, probably not too to distant, Phoenix plays a lonely divorcee. A company develops on OS that personalizes itself to each individual user, and away we go. I guess it doesn't hurt that the OS has Scarlett Johanssons sweet voice.

My main problem with the film is that everything is told in a vacuum, which I suppose it has to be, because the more we were to understand about the science involved, the more complex and harder to hold together the story becomes. We never see how the rest of the world handles the OS, which clearly grows as the film goes on. For a world set so firmly in the digital, you'd think everyone would be fully aware of what's happening with the machines and what the end game was going to be long before the films final minutes. At two hours, the film does try and give us enough time to become entrenched in the world it's created and get past the initial feelings of how silly it seems for a man to have a relationship with a piece of software. Yes, I know a lot of stuff in the film can be seen as allegory, I get that. On the other hand, you really have to go all in on the premise for it to hit you very deep on a level that goes more than skin deep.

There's indy music, and indy imagery, and it's moving. I just kept feeling like I wanted something deeper than I was being given, but whatever. Phoenix is really strong, and like I said, there's some really strong writing and I appreciate the effort made here by everyone involved, it was just a little too hard to get everything to coherently sink in on the emotional level the film aims for. Still, I cried like a girl at the end, so there's that.

I think there's a really great story here, but I don't think it's a really great movie. I'd still recommend it though.


Kick Ass 2: 40 Out Of 100 Stars
Pretty disappointing follow up that trades focus for brevity while at the same time jumbling it's message in a sea of shock value that doesn't go much more than skin deep.

For all the shit he gets, Nicolas Cage made the first movie work. Here, left to their own devices, the script does no service at all to the young talent trying to carry this movie. There are moments where it seems like they're trying really hard to add that layer of seriousness and drama that Cage provided in the first movie, but all the moments come like flashes and are surrounded by too much silly shit.

The first film was so good that it was easy to forgive some of the shit they did, but here, watching teenagers dance around to songs about making that pussy drop, it's just cheap man, real cheap. And the rape shit is just off the charts stupid and uncomfortable, but they didn't have the balls to leave it in, because then you'd have to do some real explaining about why and how it's ok to do that in such a shitty movie.

I will grant that a good of the deal of the funny stuff is funny, if awkward. I bet there are a few versions of the script that focus more on the dark side or more on the funny side, but this finished product is just a jumble that doesn't do either version properly.

Jim Carey is really good and tries his damn best, but it's not enough.

The Kick Ass franchise is kicked, empty the bowl.


The Last Stand: 29 Out Of 100 Stars
Think of every dumb action movie you've ever seen, take the absolute dumbest parts of them, hit those parts in the head so hard they suffer brain injuries, then piece them together and you've got The Last Stand.

I'm being slightly unfair, the parts in the town with Arnold and his rag tag gang is at times legit fun, and at other time legit so stupid it's fun. Unfortunately, you have to sit through a setup so ball numbingly awful to get there.

Forest Whittaker, maybe asleep, is playing a federal agent in charge of transporting a drug kingpin to death row. Wouldn't ya know it, things don't work out so smooth. And thus begins an escape, chase, shoot em up, sequence that makes zero sense, is zero fun, and left me with 0 brain cells. And it goes on.....and on......and on.......and the movie just drags things out while we wait and wait for the promised showdown.

Then we get a good 20 minutes or so where there's at least some stupid, fun shoot outs before we go back into more ridiculous chase.

The script is so stupid it doesn't just force you to turn your brain off, it forces you to turn your brain off, take it out, put it outside and let the birds peck at it for 2 hours. But worse than that, it's just not much fun. Boring and stupid is no way to go through a film.

Arnold, bless his heart, he tries but he's just not all that good here. Everyone is competent but most of the characters have been lifted from the manual so you aren't gonna get anything you haven't seen a million times before. Luis Guzman and Johnny Knoxville try and bring it, but they're hampered by their limited screen time. The Russian dude from Prison Break is glorious, playing...I don't know what he's playing, the accent waffles so much you could make a drinking game out of it.

The last stand is ok, it's the eternity you spend getting there that's the trouble.


Anchorman 2: 40 Out Of 100 Stars
Almost gave this one a flat even 50 but that's not fair. The simple fact is that the 2nd half of this movie was awful and stupid.

Now the first half had me laughing and seemed to set everything up nicely, then Ron goes blind and it turns into something that plays more like really bad Adult Swim than legitimate comedy. The fight scene in the park almost made up for it but by then it was just finding a dollar bill in the garbage you're waist deep in.

Tonights story, enough of this shit already. Half written film at 11.

[ISiddiqui]

I thought the part when Ron when blind was brilliant in its absolute absurdity. It was something that only Anchorman would try to do, almost Monty Python-esque in how ridiculous it was.

[Suicane75]

I cannot agree with your opinion sir.

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Let me offer contrary opinion . Gravity is still my favorite movie of 2013. Yes, it's fantastic in effects, and in IMAX 3D, I consider it to be the greatest cinematic experience I've ever had.

I agree that it was visually stunning.. I think my disappointment comes in that I was hoping for something epic, something that really made me feel the emptiness of space. I wanted to be scared out of my mind instead of watching a woman overcome her flaw or whatever it amounted to. The visuals stunned me and were some of the most effective I have ever seen at making me really feel something that transcended the screen, but the story kept it from being a film that stuck with me for long enough to really feel like it had the impact it should have. There was no resonance for me. Clooney's character was too Clooney, I don't think anyone would be that cool under that kind of pressure. Even the Apollo guys had some serious nerves going on and they weren't floating tetherless in empty space with no reasonable hope of being saved.

I'm trying to stop short of going on a rant, but this all comes more from frustration that it did not meet my expectations, and the fact that it fell so short of them left me with such a bad taste in my mouth. I felt like I had been fooled. That is probably mostly my fault, but I wanted something I could put somewhere close to Kubrick, and it really looked like it had a chance.

[cartman]

My cousin and I introduced his 8 and 11 year old boys to Monty Python and the Holy Grail this weekend. The 11 year old's reaction to the ending scene was priceless. "What in the world did I just watch?" Their mom just texted me and said they have been quoting the movie since they got home last night. Mission accomplished!

[Karlifornia]

Oculus- 8.5/10 Really well done suspense horror that's edited flawlessly.

[tarcone]

Originally Posted by cartman

My cousin and I introduced his 8 and 11 year old boys to Monty Python and the Holy Grail this weekend. The 11 year old's reaction to the ending scene was priceless. "What in the world did I just watch?" Their mom just texted me and said they have been quoting the movie since they got home last night. Mission accomplished!

Awesome.
My 8th grade daughter got to experience in her English class. They were in a story telling unit.
She loved it. Im going ot have to watch it in full with her.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

I wanted something I could put somewhere close to Kubrick, and it really looked like it had a chance.

And yet... I think 2001 is the most overrated film of all time .

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

And yet... I think 2001 is the most overrated film of all time .

You and I are actually in complete agreement for once (movie-wise)?!?!?!?