Because I want a place to ramble on about the movies I see. :dumbo::hist::dumbo:
I believe we all know the awesomeness of The Avengers, so instead I will start with ...
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Because I want a place to ramble on about the movies I see. :dumbo::hist::dumbo:
I believe we all know the awesomeness of The Avengers, so instead I will start with ...
This movie was not as awesome as I wanted it to be, but it was still enjoyable. The main weakness was the script, which I think could have used both some trimming down AND some increased exposition in places.
In visuals and tone it called to mind Fantasy movies of the '80s, like Willow, Labryinth, and Legend, so it hit many of my nostalgia buttons, along with my swordfighting-, castle-, magic-, and fancy costume-buttons.
Also, I could watch Chris Hemsworth swinging melee weapons around all day, every day.
My kid and I saw Snow White, etc.
We liked it, but it did go on maybe a bit too long.
Also, my kid pointed out "The actress who played Snow White wasn't as good an actor as the others."
:snerk:
I've never seen the Twilight series, so I have nothing to compare her performance to, but yeah. For most of the movie I could totally buy her as a confused girl who is emotionally stunted because she grew up alone in a prison tower - her big inspiring speech towards the end fell pretty flat though.
Charlize Theron was definitely having fun chewing on All The Scenery.
Also the movie gets 20 extra points for Snow White's practical armor and hair-styling choices (5 points taken away for lack-of-helmet).
I kept getting this adaptation of Snow White and the comedic one mixed up in my head. Despite my dislike of Kristen Stewart as an actress, I do want to see Snow White and the Huntsman. I can't say the same for the other adaptation, though. The trailers for it just made me cringe.
My sister ans I saw SWATH on Sunday, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I wasn't asdistracted by K-Stew as I've been in other movies. She was less...Bella, I suppose. Of course, Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth were fabulous and seemed to be having a blast. I'd heard it was supposed to be the first of a trilogy, though. Not sure how they'll squeeze another story out of this.
Mirror, Mirror? I thought that looked awful. Of course, I'm prejudiced against Julia Roberts.Quote:
Originally posted by Zuul
I have no idea how that would even work.Quote:
Originally posted by Marsilia
Yeah, Mirror, Mirror was it. The previews don't in any way entice me and, no, Julia Roberts isn't helping much.
Kid and I long ago decided we weren't going to see Mirror, Mirror because the trailers were so horrible.
Interesting how far from alone we were.
Yeah, I'm surprised that others had the same response to the trailers. I'll assume this means we all have excellent taste.
I want to see SWATH, definitely. And I don't mind Kristen Stewart's presence, really.
Men in Black 3 was actually quite good. If you like the franchise, this was nearly as good as the original and much better then 2. The kids really enjoyed it. I really enjoyed it. Josh Brolin was dead-on as the young Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). This could not have been better cast. Will Smith was as always good and entertaining. He doesn't really make bad movies, or at least even his bad movies are still watchable. (I'm looking at you Wild, Wild West).
Not sure why Rip Torn wasn't in this one but didn't actually matter.
Tell that to The Legend of Bagger Vance.Quote:
Originally posted by What Exit?
"Nearly as good as the original and much better than 2" is exactly how I would describe this movie as well. And Jemaine Clement is totally awesome in it.Quote:
Originally posted by What Exit?
I'm taking the kids to see Madagascar 3 today. Not expecting much. I shall return and report.
:woowoo: Afro! Polka-dot! Afro! Polka-dot, polkadot, afro!
Meh-degascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted.
A worthy follow-up to the first two Madagascar films...both of which I kind of disliked as well. They just seem to have an all-star cast of people I find annoying: Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Martin Short, etc., with the added pain of the normally wonderful Frances McDormand working a paint-peelingly screechy French accent. (Exception: Bryan Cranston is great in this movie as the tiger.) Almost all of the laughs are Looney Tunes-style slapstick laughs, and there are plenty of repetitive gags and repetitive songs ("I like to move it move it," anyone?) to get stuck in your five year old's head for the next week.
All in all, a very Dreamworks film. Two and a half stars. :)
(And for those who don't ken what I mean by "very Dreamworks," I offer up the following xkcd panel:)
http://www.culch.ie/images/pixarvsdreamworks.jpg
Man, I can't wait till Brave comes out. I am a total Pixar geek.
I'm with you, Orual. I'm so excited for Brave, I use the trailer to demo the YouTube quality on Nook Tablets, and I squeed a little when Castleville on Facebook started a Brave quest.
I keep waiting for them to do something that sucks, just so I can point the finger and say they're washed up/sold out/ruined by Disney/whatever. And they keep putting out fantastic product.Quote:
Originally posted by Orual
I finally saw the Avengers tonight. No I generally don't seem to like comic book movies and I generally don't really like 3-D that much. With that caveat, Avengers was a really good and very enjoyable movie. I love many of the lines and just generally enjoyed the movie. "Puny God", "Legolas", etc.
Well Cars 2 sucked and was just a quick try at a money grab to pay for more pics. Also Pixar basically gets the fall for the John Carter financial disaster. Also I strongly disliked even the first Cars. But overall their record is crazy good.Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStampI keep waiting for them to do something that sucks, just so I can point the finger and say they're washed up/sold out/ruined by Disney/whatever. And they keep putting out fantastic product.Quote:
Originally posted by Orual
Brave looks like it will be a great one and its Scottish! Woot!
I actually haven't seen either Cars movie. They're the only two I skipped. :DQuote:
Originally posted by What Exit?
And I'm excited for Brave, too!
Just....just get out.Quote:
Originally posted by What Exit?
I have seen zero movies this summer. I really kinda suck at going to movies.
Such is the magic that is Avengers. :sci:Quote:
Originally posted by What Exit?
The preview mainly makes me want to go back to Scotland.Quote:
Originally posted by What Exit?
I saw the first one; it was more enjoyable than I expected it to be. No way I'm bothering with the 2nd one, though.Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStampI actually haven't seen either Cars movie. They're the only two I skipped. :DQuote:
Originally posted by What Exit?
And tonight, I'm enjoying the incomparable cinematic experience known as: Jersey Shore Shark Attack. It's a truly beautiful life moment.
Great! Didja spot me in it?: http://www.mellophant.com/forums/sho...Avengers-extraQuote:
Originally posted by What Exit?
One of the original shark attacks was on the Matawan Creek. The first apartment I had with my fiancee/wife was just above the Matawan Creek in the general area of the attack. Though the Apts we were in did not exist when the attack took place.Quote:
Originally posted by Orual
I did not but I was looking as I did remember your thread.Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
I pulled it up on IMDB fully expecting to be disappointed but, no, it's exactly what I hoped it would be. Also, it has Paul Sorvino in what I can only imagine is not his proudest moment. :DQuote:
Originally posted by Orual
Well, shoot. He's on my list of my top five favorite actors of Māori descent. Now I have to see it.Quote:
Originally posted by OneCentStamp
(Yes, I have such a list. Why don't you?)
I keep seeing adverts everywhere for the Spiderman reboot.
Part of me thinks it is going to be a standard reboot and suck, or perhaps it might be better than the trailer suggests it is going to be.
That cartoon doesn't look like an XKCD one to me, unless the style of XKCD has changed drastically recently.
You're right, and I knew that. I don't know why I keep thinking it's an xkcd. :fail:Quote:
Originally posted by The Original An Gadaí
I was never a big fan of the Tobey Macguire/Kristen Dunst Spiderman movies, but I'm not really feeling this new version either. He's uncovering his parents' Dark, Secret Past? Spiderman doesn't have parents!*Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
*By which I mean that in no cartoon/comic book I ever saw, were Peter Parker's parents ever mentioned - just Aunt Mae and Tragic Dead Uncle.
This is Marvel Comics - of course his dead parents have a dark, secret past.Quote:
Originally posted by Orual
Spoiler (mouseover to read):
International Secret Agents - what else?
I feel rather "eh" about the new Spider-Man, though I've always had a soft spot for the comics. The parent plot kind of annoys me, but mostly it's Andrew Garfield. He's just...not working for me.
Yeah, I'm a little leery of it too. But I'll see it.
MIB3 is better than its predecessor, but not as good as the original. Still worth seeing for the Sixties jokes and Josh Brolin's fantastic deadpan take on the young Agent K.
Isn't it crazy how Josh Brolin is within six months of Will Smith's age, yet easily comes across fifteen years older, just by his delivery?Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
Wow, I hadn't done the math. Interesting.
Saw Madagascar 3 with my boys on Sunday, and liked it more than I thought I would. A highlight:
Spoiler (mouseover to read):
There's a crash-'em-up Monte Carlo chase scene early in the movie that is really one of the best chases I've ever seen! Funny and exciting.
Kid and I will probably see "Brave", maybe tomorrow.
Reviews are a bit luke-warm though -- like it's a good Disney movie, but a mediocre Pixar movie.
My desire to see Prometheus waned considerably after I saw the lukewarm reviews. (Also I hate von Daniken's 'Chariots of the Gods' bullshit with the fiery rage of 100,000 ancient engineers.)
I'm looking forward to it. We'll probably see it late in the week though.Quote:
Originally posted by Rube E. Tewesday
It looks interesting but my interest has also waned.Quote:
Originally posted by Orual
Quote:
Originally posted by Rube E. Tewesday
artifex, kids, and I are going to see it tomorrow afternoon. I shall return and report. :sci:Quote:
Originally posted by What Exit?
Reviews be damned, I hope not to end this summer without seeing both Brave and Prometheus.
Prometheus is definitely worth seeing. I think it has something of a bad reputation because almost everyone's reaction seems to be "I enjoyed it, but ...". It certainly has its flaws, and I think those get emphasized more than the truly good stuff that's in it.
My description of it to a friend: "It does a good job balancing the curiosity of space exploration with the horror of finding something terrible out there."
Orual, the alien panspermia story is, like much else, not pushed too much (it starts out with more of it but, like many other ideas it raises, it's never fully explored). It seems that Ridley Scott has a cafeteria approach to meaning in his films - you can take or leave what you like about it.
I watched this and then Alien (director's cut) later that night. One thing I was surprised by was just how much better the Nostromo looks in space. I never though of CG being all that bad compared to miniatures, but the lighting and even just the ship design pales in comparison.
Haven't been to the movie theater this weekend, but tonight started The Hurt Locker on DVD with my son. It's pretty good.
Heh, I just watched that on Friday evening. Very good, if depressing.
(Almost had a chance to see Brave last night, but the timing was off. :fail:)
I wasn't expecting to see it so soon, but I got a chance to see Brave yesterday. It was ... good, but not as good as I had hoped.
The plot was very much not what I thought.
Spoiler (mouseover to read):
I thought it was 'young girl wants to avoid being married off so runs off and has an adventure'. Instead it's '...married off so casts a carelessly vague spell that turns her mother into a bear.' Hijinks ensue forcing a mother-daughter bond to strengthen. And I do mean 'forced'; the plot motivations are weak.
The short that precedes it, La Luna (which was up for an Oscar this year but lost) is fantastic. The eight-year-old girl with me smiled and said, "Good movie" after the short ended. By the end of the feature I had to make sure she put away the flashy-light makeup thingy she had just got. That says a little bit of something.
In fairness, I think Brave is aimed at a slightly older audience. What with some intense bear scare scenes, it's certainly not for the really young ones.
There is a scene post-credits but nothing special about the credits themselves, which I found a little disappointing. The scene is okay, but probably not worth staying for when you've got a little girl saying, "Can we go now? "
In 'what's Orual watching on DVD' news, I just saw Errol Flynn's Robin Hood. It was fun, but I kept wishing I was watching this guy:
http://www.wearysloth.com/Gallery/Ac...5286-16142.gif
Brave was pretty good. We saw it yesterday. The short was incredible. My kids both really liked it. We saw the 2d version for the record. I didn't think 3D would really matter for Brave.
I would rather see him as the Dread Pirate Roberts though.Quote:
Originally posted by Orual
The sword fight between Flynn and Rathbone is a classic.
That is a great movie of the dumb fun variety.
Indeed; I ended up watching a bunch of Rathbone swordfights on YouTube.Quote:
Originally posted by CatInASuit
Yes, I definitely still want to see Brave, and the Lincoln vampire movie too (despite its poor reviews).
Just saw Ted today with my 15-year-old son, who was very eager to see it. An uneven movie, but overall good trashy fun. I'd give it a B. We had just been in Boston, and enjoyed seeing a lot of places in the movie that we'd just seen ourselves. Favorite scene and line:
Spoiler (mouseover to read):
* Wahlberg tries to guess the name of Ted's new white-trash girlfriend, finally striking gold when he adds the suffix "-lynn."
* Ted saying, "I really don't think I sound all that much like Peter Griffin."
Did anyone ever actually see Battleship? I just realized one of my favorite actors has a small part as a watch officer in it, but the previews looked so awful I don't know if it'll ever be worth watching.
Didn't see Battleship, although I was mildly interested in doing so. The reviews were mixed; it, um, sank at the box office.
ISWYDT, and I approve. :)Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
I finally went to see this this past weekend. The animation was beautiful - I really liked the setting (my favorite vacation ever was to Scotland). I liked the characters, and that the central relationship was a mother and daughter rather than a romantic couple. Also bears. I like bears.
On the down side, I thought the story was a little ... thin? Shallow? It didn't have the emotional resonance for me that some other Pixar movies (Wall-E) have had for me.
Merida's hair is like a character unto itself in that movie, isn't it? Pixar's animation has come so far from the Toy Story days, where they could barely render a human face that wasn't laughable.
Saw the Lincoln vampire movie. It was fun! Good shooting/effects, great action. I've gotten the impression there are people who expected the plot to be deeper or more serious, somehow. It's a movie in which an actual historical figure kills vampires. It's exactly as deep and serious as such a movie should be, IMHO.
Heh. I have a morbid curiosity about this movie, and will probably end up seeing it despite the poor reviews.Quote:
Originally posted by Marsilia
Oh, I never pay attention to actual critical reviews. If I have friends with similar tastes to mine (I miss having guys at work), I'll take their opinions under advisement, but I generally just watch trailers and go from there.
Oh, I forgot to mention - the short in front of [i]Brave[i] was beautiful and adorable. I loved the little kid, and the glowy stars, and the fact that you could totally tell that they were Italians, even though they never spoke in words. It was just happy. <3
Yes, it's called La Luna, and it was good. Just saw it today. My wife, sons and I also really enjoyed Brave - funny, great cinematography, and an uplifting story. The three impish little brothers of the main character were a hoot.
Saw Brave with the wife and kid on Saturday. We all liked it -- it is an amazing good-looking movie with incredible animation.
I will say I didn't think it was as inspired as, say Wall-E, but probably Pixar has spoiled us. The same movie a few years ago probably would have stunned people.
You're probably right.
Just saw Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter with some historically like-minded friends tonight. It was goofy, over-the-top, vampire-slaying, mostly-ahistorical fun, with some surprisingly good sfx and sets.
Well now I am back to wanting to go see it. I might take in Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter tonight.
I think I will wait on Abe Lincoln until it stumbles into the three dollar theater here, but it looks like fun.
I also saw Brave and it was great. My friend pointed out it was very good to see a movie with a good mother/daughter story and how rare those seem to be in animated movies. La Luna was wonderful, too. I also saw a trailer for the limited release of Finding Nemo in 3D this September...and I am a sucker for some Finding Nemo.
Of course it turns out that the movie is gone from all local theaters already.Quote:
Originally posted by What Exit?
Bummer! We had to go a bit far afield to find it ourselves. Don't worry, it's not so epic that it has to be seen on the big screen.Quote:
Originally posted by What Exit?Of course it turns out that the movie is gone from all local theaters already.Quote:
Originally posted by What Exit?
I have acquired my ticket for The Dark Knight Rises. It's good I checked today; the Saturday shows were almost sold out.
I just got back from TDKR. Just gonna throw it out there, but it made TDK look downright cheerful by comparison.
Horrific related story of mass shootings and panic at a show in Aurora, Colorado. 12 dead, 50 wounded.Quote:
Originally posted by Orual
I'm not surprised, that tracks with what I've heard. Honestly, I'm not expecting to LOVE this movie. Nolan is a talented director, but there are a few things about his movies that tend to annoy me.Quote:
Originally posted by Marsilia
That's horrifying.Quote:
Originally posted by What Exit?Horrific related story of mass shootings and panic at a show in Aurora, Colorado. 12 dead, 50 wounded.Quote:
Originally posted by Orual
...yeah. The movie itself became far less dark and scary to me when I heard that happened.Quote:
Originally posted by What Exit?
(Maybe if folks want to discuss the shooting, there can be a new thread? It's an odd fit with my idle bitching-about-movies.)
Sure. Here you go: http://www.mellophant.com/forums/sho...quot-screeningQuote:
Originally posted by Orual
So, I just got home from Savages. It was probably one of those movies I should have a strong opinion about, but I really don't. It was good, but wasn't particularly engrossing.
Oh, yeah, the drug crime thriller. I saw a trailer for the movie and was surprised to see Oliver Stone directed it. Rotten Tomatoes has it at 54%.
Exactly. I'd heard a bit about it back when I was watching Hunger Games casting news, because Jennifer Lawrence had apparently dropped that one to play Katniss, and people were questioning the smarts of that decision. I'd say she made the right choice.
OK, so, a couple of weeks after seeing it, I'd have to say that The Dark Knight Rises was not a disappointment, but it hasn't really stuck with me the way some movies do. Anne Hathaway was great; her Selina Kyle was the highlight of the movie for me. Bane was physically impressive, but undercut by his garbled dialog. Tom Hardy is a good actor and I thought he was kind of wasted in the part.
Over all I think Nolan's trilogy is an impressive accomplishment. I want to watch all three movies together at some point, to see how the story hangs together.
But The Avengers is still my favorite movie of the summer, so far.
And the preview for the new Superman movie looked awful. I don't think that Christopher "Grim n' Gritty" Nolan and Zack "I'm a giant fucking creeper" Snyder were the right choices for that particular project.
Saw Spiderman last night. Better than expected, did not suck, had some good parts and a lot of too slow parts. I had a hard time believing Emma Stone was a HS student and a tough time with believing Andrew Garfield who played Peter Parker was a teen. Sally Field and Aunt May was also off putting, I might not be a comic book fan but even I know Aunt May is suppose to look more grey haired and frail.
Basically a low expectation movie delivered well.
Saw The Dark Knight Rises a few days ago and liked it, mostly. Some nitpicks. Have to say, none of the Bale/Nolan Batman movies really clicked for me. I still prefer the first Michael Keaton one.
Wow, someone besides me preferred the Keaton one. I like the second also.Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
I mentioned this in the other thread, but I finally saw Hunger Games in the three dollar theater. Maybe not a summer movie, but it's summer and I saw it and it counts. And I really liked it. Thankfully it's out in DVD in a week and a half.
Me too. One thing that I felt like they "got" in that film that none of the others managed was that Batman was far more real and Bruce Wayne was far more of a mask. Not the cartoonish "absconding with the entire Russian ballet" Bruce Wayne of Bale/Nolan, but just a charming playboy cover. I like Bale's portrayal all right, but with Keaton it all felt much more natural, even if it wasn't a "gritty reboot."Quote:
Originally posted by Elendil's Heir
Quite so. Glad to be in such excellent company, What Exit and Zuul!
When all's said and done, this will always be the 'real' Batman for me:
I liked Batman Forever.
I'll go now.
Hey, I do to! It's not great, but I think it gets some not-entirely-deserved splashback from Batman & Robin.
Orual, is Batman (or something) invisible in your post 86? I see nothing there.
It was an embedded Youtube link to this.