What movies have you seen recently?

[Cutter15]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

22 Jump Street.

They nailed it. Might have tried too hard at some turns but they were only occasional. Had the theatre laughing out loud on multiple occasions. Jonah Hill & Channing Tatum play great off each other. Ice Cube got a lot more screen time and it worked. Any more and it would've been repetitive I think, but it was funny enough for his extended parts.

Go see it

Planning on seeing this today, I was a bit worried it would be the same as the first movie. Glad to hear it's not The Hangover 2.

[Blzer]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Monsters University

It's been a long while since I have seen Monsters, Inc., which I have only seen once as well. I recall not being super fascinated by wanting to see it despite it being Pixar, and even when I saw it the only real thing I was fascinated with was the Boo storyline, or so it seemed. Obviously I appreciated other things, but all told since the movie was focused around them with her (but also Mike and Sully's relationship), I thought it was ultimately good but also very heartwarming. A nice tearjerker at times, especially the ending.

Monsters University, however, was not a heartwarming tearjerker. Instead, it was a barraging escapade of animated goodness mixed with the unique minds at Pixar delivering on all that it is to be a prideful college student. Even from the viral advertisements, I knew they had hit the mark with the actual university itself. So although the story itself wasn't anything that was crazy unique unlike that of the original Monsters, Inc., Toy Story, or WALL-E, it sprinkled enough merriment that college students and alum can enjoy with kids, even if kids don't understand half of what is going on, literally or subliminally.

Okay, so in that I was watching the film and thought it was actually pretty generic from the story's point of view. I thought that it was definitely one of the better animation movies I have seen from a technical standpoint, plus it was funny and creative within the scenes themselves, but I was looking at the drawing board as a whole and when I thought it was wrapping up, I was like: "Well, all told it was a bit too ho-hum." Now, thankfully I didn't look at a clock or the run time, because I realized that once I thought I hit said finishing arc of the film, there was just this little twist that made me go: "Ooooh Pixar, you just got me." It was then riddled with maybe 30-40 more minutes of the most Pixar-esque filmmaking of the movie. And boy, the last act of the film really saved it to become an upper-echelon Pixar film. The only thing it's missing, again, are the tearjerker moments that riddle some of Pixar's best feature presentations.

So, I thought it was very good and I'm sorry I had reservations for it. I think the balance of events was there, but the pacing threw me off a bit when it hit that tide-turning moment, so perhaps it needed to work on that part a bit if people started to feel its length (not to say it's a lengthy movie at all since it's only about 100 minutes). Regardless, I think I would probably eventually be watching this one more so than Monsters, Inc. Even though that one is cuter, it's probably a little less entertaining and quite outdated from the animation point of view, and sometimes I'm fully about how good a film can look.

I know Pixar has been a bit controversial as of late since they have delivered a couple of relative 'duds.' Personally, I was very entertained by Cars 2. Monsters University also grabs a fresh tomato rating for me, and it was much easier to do that by the time the film actually wrapped up. So far, Brave is the only Pixar film where I question what the hell they were doing. However, these other two recent sequels have people asking: "What about a sequel to The Incredibles?" I'd have to agree. That has to be their next sequel on the list, IMO. Finding Dory is next though, and although I'm certain I will love that film as well, I just want to make sure that these creative minds can still deliver some strong originals. I do believe that UP is their last individual piece, and personally I think that others like that one much more than I do, though I still love it. Anyway, enough of my Pixar rant. They have hit home runs with every sequel so far in my opinion, with Monsters University certainly being no exception!

[RockinDaMike]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Rush

I liked the movie, exciting races, the sound was really awesome. The competition between the two was really tense. The things they pushed each other to do was amazing.

Its funny throughout the movie you route for James Hunt and kinda dream you would have done it his way but in reality I would have looked at racing like Niki Lauda did.

[Zer0xray]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Saw how to train your dragon 2 today and it was fantastic. Prob the next movie I've seen all year. There were some very emotional moments mixed in with great action and comedy

sent from galaxy note 3

[daflyboys]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Pompeii. Not really good. It's not necessary to make an active volcano sound like it has a monster voice.

[Blzer]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

22 Jump Street

If you recall, I'm the guy who wasn't completely in love with 21 Jump Street. I compared it to The Other Guys in terms of likeness, but that probably resulted from a few things: they are both rather recent comedies involving an unconventional duo of police partners which tailspin toward the fantastical and ridiculous by the final act, and I gave both of them Blu-ray blind buys based on high marks from the OS majority. Neither were terrible, nor they regrettable purchases, but I've certainly seen better. I re-watched 21 Jump Street the other day though,and decided to appreciate it more for its stronger points, despite its weak wackiness at times.

So, how does 22 Jump Street follow up? At the beginning, I feared it was starting to feel like an exact duplicate of 21 Jump Street but taking place in college. It decided to go its own path (slightly), but for the most part it felt the same. This was good because it was familiar, but I wouldn't call it too original. It definitely wasn't short of laughs, but I was also back-and-forth on the comedy in the film. Again, they tailored toward ridiculousness, especially by the end of the film. It wasn't ever too raunchy, but it's definitely not appropriate for all crowds either. I'd say the biggest part about the comedic bits was their inability to properly perform running gags. For instance, the constant retrieve of calling Jonah and Channing old men and such is a running gag, but the insurmountable "breaking up" innuendos is an example of a repetitive gag. They just never quit with them, and there are plenty of them but I want to avoid going into too many spoilers. That makes the hole thing sound like a negative, but really the comedy was still a positive in the end.

The big problem was when they sacrificed story and characters for seemingly funny moments, and it showed. The overall plot movement was disturbingly scattered and lacked cohesion in way too many areas. It would miss on areas that needed major development or exposition, and I normally don't clamor for more exposition in films. It was as if the writers (Hill being one of them) said: "Shoot, I don't know how I want to introduce this new concept or ditch this other one... let's just throw it in/out though, no one will notice." I really think they missed the mark in this regard. I think the majority of audiences who see this movie will be really forgiving of this, but I also think this was the biggest difference between 21 & 22, and if I had to dislike 22 more, this would be the reason. It didn't stand well as a film outside of the comedy, and I think Screenwriting 101 would say first and foremost that you aim for a coherent story first, not think it up along the way of a couple of gags.

IMO though because of all of this, I felt much more okay that the ending was [as I keep saying] as wacky and ridiculous as it was, adding more entertainment value when I otherwise feel it would have deterred like in 21. In fact, some of the best parts are in the credits themselves. Unfortunately, there wasn't too much that would make me want to re-watch it immediately. I don't think there was enough of a "college factor" to draw me back in for the long haul, and I just felt the story progression to be largely unsatisfying. It was good, it was funny, and Tatum grows on me significantly more with every movie that he does (as Hill continues to charm regardless of his role). I wouldn't want to take anyone away from seeing this movie if they felt a want to before, but at the same time I do question where critics and audiences seem to find the value in this that I can't. I'm even more butthurt that Kick-*** 2 received a 29% RT score while this received an 84%. Again, I just don't see it. That may be me though, and I think as long as the 'negatives' I mentioned wouldn't affect anybody else, ya'll will be just fine with this movie. But to expect anything to be super redefining in this film compared to that of 21 might also walk out disappointed.

[Jr.]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

22 Jump Street

Spoiler

If you recall, I'm the guy who wasn't completely in love with 21 Jump Street. I compared it to The Other Guys in terms of likeness, but that probably resulted from a few things: they are both rather recent comedies involving an unconventional duo of police partners which tailspin toward the fantastical and ridiculous by the final act, and I gave both of them Blu-ray blind buys based on high marks from the OS majority. Neither were terrible, nor they regrettable purchases, but I've certainly seen better. I re-watched 21 Jump Street the other day though,and decided to appreciate it more for its stronger points, despite its weak wackiness at times.

So, how does 22 Jump Street follow up? At the beginning, I feared it was starting to feel like an exact duplicate of 21 Jump Street but taking place in college. It decided to go its own path (slightly), but for the most part it felt the same. This was good because it was familiar, but I wouldn't call it too original. It definitely wasn't short of laughs, but I was also back-and-forth on the comedy in the film. Again, they tailored toward ridiculousness, especially by the end of the film. It wasn't ever too raunchy, but it's definitely not appropriate for all crowds either. I'd say the biggest part about the comedic bits was their inability to properly perform running gags. For instance, the constant retrieve of calling Jonah and Channing old men and such is a running gag, but the insurmountable "breaking up" innuendos is an example of a repetitive gag. They just never quit with them, and there are plenty of them but I want to avoid going into too many spoilers. That makes the hole thing sound like a negative, but really the comedy was still a positive in the end.

The big problem was when they sacrificed story and characters for seemingly funny moments, and it showed. The overall plot movement was disturbingly scattered and lacked cohesion in way too many areas. It would miss on areas that needed major development or exposition, and I normally don't clamor for more exposition in films. It was as if the writers (Hill being one of them) said: "Shoot, I don't know how I want to introduce this new concept or ditch this other one... let's just throw it in/out though, no one will notice." I really think they missed the mark in this regard. I think the majority of audiences who see this movie will be really forgiving of this, but I also think this was the biggest difference between 21 & 22, and if I had to dislike 22 more, this would be the reason. It didn't stand well as a film outside of the comedy, and I think Screenwriting 101 would say first and foremost that you aim for a coherent story first, not think it up along the way of a couple of gags.

IMO though because of all of this, I felt much more okay that the ending was [as I keep saying] as wacky and ridiculous as it was, adding more entertainment value when I otherwise feel it would have deterred like in 21. In fact, some of the best parts are in the credits themselves. Unfortunately, there wasn't too much that would make me want to re-watch it immediately. I don't think there was enough of a "college factor" to draw me back in for the long haul, and I just felt the story progression to be largely unsatisfying. It was good, it was funny, and Tatum grows on me significantly more with every movie that he does (as Hill continues to charm regardless of his role). I wouldn't want to take anyone away from seeing this movie if they felt a want to before, but at the same time I do question where critics and audiences seem to find the value in this that I can't. I'm even more butthurt that Kick-*** 2 received a 29% RT score while this received an 84%. Again, I just don't see it. That may be me though, and I think as long as the 'negatives' I mentioned wouldn't affect anybody else, ya'll will be just fine with this movie. But to expect anything to be super redefining in this film compared to that of 21 might also walk out disappointed.

I'm really glad I don't know nearly as much about film-making as you do. I loved 22 Jump Street and didn't notice any of this haha.

Sometimes it's good to be ignorant

[LambertandHam]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Caught Jane Eyre(2011) again(it's back on Netflix), I haven't seen it in a few years. I'm a big fan of Mia Wasikowska as Jane, she puts in a solid performance. I love the way they did the lighting throughout large parts of the film, mainly by candlelight and fireplace.

[KSOR24]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Speaking of Mia Wasikowska, has anyone seen Stoker? It was a weird movie, but I kind of enjoyed it.

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk

[LambertandHam]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Speaking of Mia Wasikowska, has anyone seen Stoker? It was a weird movie, but I kind of enjoyed it.

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk

Never heard of it, I'll check Netflix. Jane Eyre was my first exposure to her as an actress.

[KSOR24]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Never heard of it, I'll check Netflix. Jane Eyre was my first exposure to her as an actress.

It's not on Netflix. I'd recommend you see the trailer and decide if you wanna give it a shot.

By the way if you guys want to watch movies or TV shows for free (in HD if it's on DVD) check out vodly.to

EDIT: It's best if you have Ad blocker if you use it

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk

[AshamanCarnage]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Finally got to see World War Z now that is it on Netflix. Pretty solid flick, felt like it was pretty easy to figure out the "twist", if you want to call it that. Other then that, it was entertaining.

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

The Lego Movie. Loved it. Great kids movie. Visuals/animation was very good as well.

[LambertandHam]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Short Circuit 2. Johnny Five is aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive!

[dickey1331]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

22 Jump Street. I liked it and it had some funny moments but not as funny as the first one.