What movies have you seen recently?

[kingkilla56]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

I saw a lot this weekend since taking the time to set up my theatre at home

The People Under the Stairs
It was billed as a horror but was full of campiness and comedy. Was fun to watch as a man this is so bad its good movie.

Aliens
This franchise has fallen a tad(to put it lightly) since its inception. This film was so damn good.

Alien Resurrection
A far-cry from the first and second films (we dont talk about the 3rd around these parts). Seemed like cannon just falling apart to me.

The Thing (2011)
Oh god what a cluster****. From horrible acting to a plot full of what. And the concept of the Thing was just puzzling. It wasnt that puzzling where you want to find out more about the creature, its more of a why didnt you try harder with this concept? kind of puzzling.

Pirates of the Caribbean 4
They just threw this together. The writing felt patched together. The payoffs were hardly worth the trouble. The franchise is basically in filler mode with this film which is a disappointment. The franchise is lacking any coherent connection between the movies other than reoccurring characters.

The Muppets (2011)
I appreciate that it was a movie fully aware of what it was a didnt try to go beyond the call. It was good with kindhearted jokes and caught me off guard. The plethora of meta jokes started to wear on me but overall it is a good watch with the family.

Zookeeper
Kevin Bacon is full on Sandler Schnider mode at this point in his career. Another lackluster blimp on his resume. But for what it was, a bare bones Dr Dolittle, it had me laughing here and there. Just leave your criticism glasses off if you ever see this one. And the movie only made me hate the fear factor mma guy even more. Rogen? Ugh

The Parent Trap (1998)
There was a time when Lohan was full of potential. Even as a pre teen she was beaming it. Wasn't an amazing movie by any stretch but its a classic of my generation. Decent family flick.

Big Momma's House 3
The second one sucked, the first one wasn't much better; but this one is so bad, Martin Lawrence should have retired after he screened the film out of sheer embarrassment.

The Sitter
Laugh here and there but it felt like a typical Noah Hill fat man college humor comedy act. Get Him to the Greek with kids pretty much. Glad Noah is trying to expand his repertoire recently though.


Way late edit: Kevin JAMES not Bacon...

[Knight165]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

I saw a lot this weekend since taking the time to set up my theatre at home



The Thing (2011)
Oh god what a cluster****. From horrible acting to a plot full of what. And the concept of the Thing was just puzzling. It wasnt that puzzling where you want to find out more about the creature, its more of a why didnt you try harder with this concept? kind of puzzling.

The best thing about that remake.....



M.K.
Knight165

[SPTO]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Black Gold (1947)

Well this movie is a whole lotta hokum...That's not necessarily bad per se just something you got to keep in mind. This movie is actually pretty historical in a couple ways as it was the first film released under the Allied Artists banner. Allied Artists was born out of the ashes of poverty row studio Monogram Pictures and this was the start of what would be B+ type films in terms of budget and such. The other historical aspect to this movie was this was the very first lead starring role for Anthony Quinn.

Here's the summary:

In the early 1920s (Actually it looks more like the '40s in the film), in the desert near the Texas-Mexico border, Charley Eagle (Anthony Quinn), is an Indian who owns a small, hardscrabble ranch and is training a horse, "Black Hope,". He thinks that the horse is capable of running in, and winning, the Kentucky Derby. Charley runs into a young Chinese boy, David Chung ('Ducky' Louie), whose father has been killed by a smuggling gang, while pretending to help him enter the United States illegally. Charley takes the young boy back to his small ranch, where Charley and his wife, Sarah (Katherine DeMille) adopt him. His plans for "Black Hope" go awry but oil is discovered on his land and this intensifies his dreams that "Black Gold" (Highland Dale,) the colt of "Black Hope" can do what his sire couldn't do.

(Italics are mine)


Yes this was in the era when actors of Native American descent couldn't play themselves in film which, when you think about it is pretty racist. Nonetheless this movie has to have one of the more anti-racist messages i've seen from movies in that era as it portrays the lead characters of Charley and David in a very positive light. If you look beyond the somewhat broken english spoken by Quinn you'll see that the character is one of strong moral values and someone who has big dreams. He befriends David and teaches him not to paint all white men with the same brush even when early in the film he gets snookered by a crooked gambler into entering Black Hope in a claim race and losing him.

The name Katherine De Mille should ring some bells as she was Quinn's wife at the time and daughter of the famed director Cecil B. Her portrayal as the strong, understanding reservation educated wife of Charley is a pretty good one while David played by an actual Asian was er well...Let's just say the acting wasn't great but he was perfunctory. Truth be told though, this movie is all Anthony Quinn. You can't help but watch him and be glued to his performance. The movie really plays at your heartstrings especially the scene where Charley has to put down Black Hope. Those kind of scenes could easily become laughable or overplayed but Quinn gives it a realistic touch that makes it believable.

The story is based very loosely on an actual Kentucky Derby winning horse but the whole story of how the horse got there and such is changed so dramatically from what actually happened that there's no use in comparing. That being said, the message about tolerance and being a good decent person is what makes this movie shine despite it being hokey and Quinn gives an inspired performance that raises the script up and makes it worth watching.

There's no DVD of the movie but it has aired on TCM in the past so maybe one day it'll show up again. I give this one about 2 stars for Quinn's performance and the overall message of the film. I admit with the way the movie played out, I had some dust in my eye if you follow my drift.


BTW here's the true story of Black Gold. Personally I think this could make for a good movie in and of itself as well.

[WinMINTwins]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

The Thing (2011)
Oh god what a cluster****. From horrible acting to a plot full of what. And the concept of the Thing was just puzzling. It wasnt that puzzling where you want to find out more about the creature, its more of a why didnt you try harder with this concept? kind of puzzling.

After I saw it the first time, I thought, "Well, it's alright I guess."

After I watched another couple times, I really began to realize who awful this was. Especially since I loved the John Carpenter movie so much. It's supposed to be a prequel to that one (if you didn't know; I'm just assuming you didn't). Questions arise (generally me shouting "WHY?"), and betrayals (to everything we know and love about the original) are made. If I went through the entire movie point-by-point, I'd be here roughly till 2 in the morning.

[dickey1331]

Taken 2. I enjoyed it. Not as good as the first one but still good.


Do you really care where I sent this from?

[Scott]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Saw Pitch Perfect for the 2nd time, enjoyed just as much as the 1st time.

[WinMINTwins]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Finally watched Paranormal Activity 3 last night on demand. It was a lot better than the 2nd, but not as good as the first.

Spoiler

I've heard a lot about the movie, seen lots of reviews, and I don't really get why the complaints people had ruined the movie. Yeah, the guy the dad worked with acted really immature; yeah, the dad looks exactly like Micah from the first movie (and acts very similarly at points); yeah, the rotating fan was annoying; and yes, there are too many false scares at the beginning (where they go "BLEH!" really suddenly but it turns out not to be the demon, and everyone has a good laugh and goes back to what they were doing).

It felt like they're trying to hard to establish some sort of mythos. At first, it's like "Oh, it's a demon, she's been dealing with this all her life, it just wants to take her to Hell with it, ooo." Then, they give a decent explanation in the second movie, paraphrased "Look: I Googled 'demon infestation' and it said that apparently Hunter is some blood sacrifice because someone in the family is a real jackwagon." And now it's like these creepy ladies are trying to wed little girls to Satan. Make up your mind!

The scares were great, even though I heard before seeing the movie what they were, which I think says a lot about how good they are. The first half was pretty slow, like the other ones, but the second half was terrifying. It made the trek to my room quite scary, so they did a pretty good job. Especially after seeing the Sith Lord back snap thing.

My question, bigger than "How did they get those tapes?", is how are these kids not scarred for life?

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Very good flick. As you said, crosses genres as well. The sequel, while not being nearly as good, had several effective moments.

The sequel is definitely more of a true action/horror hybrid, but I really liked the family angle they went with for overall story. I keep hoping for a third, but I haven't heard much lately.

As I was watching 28 Days Later, I kept noticing shots that you would typically see in a "comic book" movie considering some of the effects and framing Boyle uses throughout.

[SPTO]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

I"m not going to do a real review of this movie I watched last night as I was quite frankly disappointed/bored by it:

Fort Yuma (1955)

Summary:

A disgruntled settler kills an Apache chief at Fort Yuma, and the fort's commander knows that the chief's son, Mangas Colorado, will seek revenge and go on the warpath. He sends word by a courier to Fort Apache where a supply column is due to head across the desert to Fort Yuma, but the courier is killed by Mangas. The column, under the command of Lieutenant Ben Keegan (Peter Graves) who hates Apaches because he doesn't trust them, and because his assigned scout is Jonas, (John Hudson) the brother of an Apache girl, Francesca, (Joan Taylor) whom Keegan has been having an affair with. Also accompanying them is Melanie Crown, (Joan Vohs) who is going to do missionary work among the Apaches. Mangas attacks the column wiping out everybody but Keegan, Jonas and Melanie. Francesca is killed while trying to warn Keegan, and he realizes how foolish he had been in his prejudice and in keeping his love secret. The Apaches, dressed in the uniforms of the dead soldiers, plan to gain entrance to Fort Yuma and massacre the men there

The Good: Peter Graves was pretty good in his role and is the only reason to watch this movie to be honest with you. There is also a nice subplot about a Sgt. Major in the group who wants to be promoted but can't read or write but has a good friendship with the Corporal who tries to help him overcome his difficulties.

The Bad: The women have very little to do and I really didn't like the Crown character as she came off as condescending and a bit holier than thou.

The Ugly: Lots of racist attitudes in this flick in regards to the Native Americans as they're portrayed as savages and the "good" Indian Jonas comes off as almost an Uncle Tom figure. Francesca also comes off looking weak when she tries to get Keegan to have her in his company going to Fort Apache ends up getting struck down then looks longingly at him and starts making out ala using her feminine wiles to get her way.

Quite frankly the racial and gender politics in this film were really bad which was in sharp contrast to the movie I watched previous to this.


The Verdict: One star, only worth seeing for Peter Graves

[areobee401]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

I actually liked 28 weeks later better. Both are still very good and any news of a 3rd would be awesome.

Children of Men

Watched this Friday night for like the 12th time. That's a lot of me as I rarely ever watch the same movie more than 2 or 3 times. Even that is rare.

One of my favorite movies of all time. Enjoyed it just as much as the 1st or 2nd time.

[DJ]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Clue.

This is one of my favorite movies. The cast is great, especially Madeline Kahn, who was just outstanding. Most comedies have a lull where the jokes either aren't as strong or non-existent, but in this movie, I find I laugh at something in every scene. The story may be a little far-fetched, but I give the writers credit for coming up with something and weaving in elements of the board game. The multiple endings is a nice touch, too.

[goh]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Rock of Ages

The first act was amazing. Started out as one of the funnest movies ever.
Second act took a pretty big dive. Slow,plodding,not very intresting.
Third act brought it back to alright but just alright. Could've been great.

Watched the extended cut. It's 2 hours and 16 minutes.

Tom Cruise,Russell Brand and Julianne Hough were all really good. Alec Baldwin had his moments. Diego Boneta was terrible for the most part.

Was a bit confused on how the songs exsisted in this universe. We see a Def Leppard album but it's Stacee Jaxx singing Pour Some Sugar on Me. Was it a cover or did his band do it?

---

The Raven

Good idea but figured it out less than half way in. Wasn't bad but was expecting it to be much better.

[WildFan22]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Finally watched Paranormal Activity 3 last night on demand. It was a lot better than the 2nd, but not as good as the first.

Spoiler

I've heard a lot about the movie, seen lots of reviews, and I don't really get why the complaints people had ruined the movie. Yeah, the guy the dad worked with acted really immature; yeah, the dad looks exactly like Micah from the first movie (and acts very similarly at points); yeah, the rotating fan was annoying; and yes, there are too many false scares at the beginning (where they go "BLEH!" really suddenly but it turns out not to be the demon, and everyone has a good laugh and goes back to what they were doing).

It felt like they're trying to hard to establish some sort of mythos. At first, it's like "Oh, it's a demon, she's been dealing with this all her life, it just wants to take her to Hell with it, ooo." Then, they give a decent explanation in the second movie, paraphrased "Look: I Googled 'demon infestation' and it said that apparently Hunter is some blood sacrifice because someone in the family is a real jackwagon." And now it's like these creepy ladies are trying to wed little girls to Satan. Make up your mind!

The scares were great, even though I heard before seeing the movie what they were, which I think says a lot about how good they are. The first half was pretty slow, like the other ones, but the second half was terrifying. It made the trek to my room quite scary, so they did a pretty good job. Especially after seeing the Sith Lord back snap thing.

My question, bigger than "How did they get those tapes?", is how are these kids not scarred for life?

Spoiler

I think they are scared which is why the older women are so messed up. The first too were good but the 3rd really messed with me in the end. When we see the little girl is in the wedding dress my mouth dropped.

[Scott]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Moneyball

I don't know why I didn't watch this sooner, loved it.

[Blzer]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Taken 2

Listen, I wouldn't let RT's score of 21% throw you off too much. In fact, there was one point when it was about 9%, and that leaves me scratching my head.

I thought it was pretty great. It was definitely bad-***, entertaining, intense... maybe too "Hollywood" for its own good at times, and the editing for action scenes could have been better (reminded me a bit of the editing in Safe House), but that can't be the one detracting feature to turn you off.

I'm not really sure where else to go with my impressions, but one thing I was afraid of was that the sequel would lose the heart that the original had. I felt some things could have been less contrived, but the heart was certainly there. That's what made Taken so good, and that's what helped strengthen Taken 2.

I wouldn't say there was anything special about the score, but I thought that the score was used incredibly well in build-up sequences, much like a Bourne film but with less bang and boom.

The only thing that limits the film is its rating, but it's also a blessing in disguise as it keeps everything in check. Even still, you sometimes wish there was a moment or two where they broke the rules and made an "R-rated kill," simply because its PG-13 version would make you wonder what the hell even happened.

Don't be so sudden to turn away from this one because of the critics.