Movie opinions thread (what have you seen, what did you think?)

[Hot Chocolate]

Dragonball: Evolution
-Complete and utter shit

Obsessed
-I'd rather watch Fatal Attraction, not only seeing Beyonce throw a punch unbelievable but seeing her trying to act tough is just laughable

Fast & Furious
-I fell asleep and I say that was a good thing

The Wrestler
-Damn good movie and made up for the shit movies I had to see. Always great to see Ernest "The Cat" Miller

 

[Lagduf]

For some reason I watched The Brave One with Jody (Jodie?) Foster. It was on HBO or something.

Terrible vigilante film. Terrible ending.

 

[HeartlessNinny]

Seven Pounds
Really enjoyed this. Will Smith is one of my favorite actors. He's just so natural and talented. Many didn't like it, but I enjoyed I Am Legend and Hancock. Largely thanks to Will. Hitch was fun, too.

Just watched this one the other day myself. Definitely a very frustrating film, but if followed through with its premise, which I thought was very ballsy.

I was a bit turned off for the first half, because I figured out what was going on and I didnt' really care that much. But they won me over, and I was moved in the end. I can see why people didn't like it though.

Oddly enough, I felt the same about Slumdog Millioniare. Maybe it's because I don't generally like movies where it's boy meets girl/boy loses girl, but they definitely won me over too. And if nothing else, Danny Boyle had a hell of a dynamic style of shooting that movie. Great stuff, but I wouldn't call it Best Picture (I'd give that one to Synecdoche, New York).

 

[rarehero]

watched AvP requiem.
I was kind of dissapointed. The predator didn't seem that great
of a hunter, there was a couple of scenes that felt like he was
shooting blind and always just catching up instead.
started out strong. but definitely didn't dig the end.
wasn't really a payoff like all the previous alien or predator movies.
6 out of 10

also got the dewey cox story: walk hard
it was okay and I have a good appreciation of mister johnny cash
of whom the movie loosely parodies so I thought it was funny,
but I'm not sure I dug the male full frontal nudity parts. -5 points.

 

[aria]

For some reason I watched The Brave One with Jody (Jodie?) Foster. It was on HBO or something.

Terrible vigilante film. Terrible ending.

Yeah, I missed it after I read so-so reviews. It sucks because I really like Jodie Foster, and she seems to have the ability to chose the roles that she really wants to play (winning 2 oscars helps her), but with her children she scaled back and some of her choices have been weird.

 

[LoneSage]

Taken - I had reservations about this because I didn't believe old Liam Neeson could pull off an action guy role. Very glad I was wrong; at 90 minutes long, it's a real compact, no bullshit action flick. If I had known Luc Besson co-wrote the script I might have seen it sooner. Total badass flick, very glad to hear a sequel got green-lit (not to mention how much money it made - I was worried more people were stupid like me).

Also, some guy said Neeson needs to be in a Bond flick, hero or villain. Now I want this to happen.

 

[SouthtownKid]

For some reason I watched The Brave One with Jody (Jodie?) Foster. It was on HBO or something.

Terrible vigilante film. Terrible ending.

There were so many things wrong with that movie, I don't know where to begin. I felt like throwing the remote at the television screen. She just buys a gun without learning how to even use it, or even how to load it. She doesn't ever clean the gun. And at the end, the cop stages a fake crime scene that would not convince a 5 year-old girl who accidentally watched half of one episode of Law and Order one night, much less an actual police officer.

I've seen a lot of dumb movies in my life, but for some reason, I felt like this one was actually going out of its way to insult me, personally. This is what movie studios think of me?

 

[Steve]

Just saw Slumdog Millionaire. Yes, it is a very good movie, but I still think The Wrestler got jobbed (pardon the pun) for Picture of the Year.

Both are great films, but I might never watch Slumdog again. The Wrestler is a film I'll be watching several times for sure.

 

[genjiglove]

Just saw Slumdog Millionaire. Yes, it is a very good movie, but I still think The Wrestler got jobbed (pardon the pun) for Picture of the Year.

Both are great films, but I might never watch Slumdog again. The Wrestler is a film I'll be watching several times for sure.

I haven't seen The Wrestler but I do agree with you on Slumdog. It was a pretty good movie but I don't feel the need to ever see it again.

 

[aria]

Just saw Slumdog Millionaire. Yes, it is a very good movie, but I still think The Wrestler got jobbed (pardon the pun) for Picture of the Year.

Both are great films, but I might never watch Slumdog again. The Wrestler is a film I'll be watching several times for sure.

The Wrestler > average studio fare
The Wrestler > Benjamin Button/The Reader

but

Frost/Nixon > The Wrestler
Milk > The Wrestler

 

[HeartlessNinny]

The Wrestler > average studio fare
The Wrestler > Benjamin Button/The Reader

but

Frost/Nixon > The Wrestler
Milk > The Wrestler

Dang, that reminds me, I still need to see Frost/Nixon — and the Wrestler for that matter. Milk was fantastic though.

But Bobak, where's the Synecdoche love?

 

[hanafuda]

In The Loop

Total and utter shit. Supposedly a political satire/comedy, but not remotely funny. Maybe one or two mildly amusing bits lasting a few seconds.

Seems to fall into the typical rut of British 'comedies' of, "Hey, our script is crap and there are no jokes, so let's have people swearing the entire time, that will be like dead funny.'.

Do not watch this film, it is shite.

 

[aria]

Dang, that reminds me, I still need to see Frost/Nixon — and the Wrestler for that matter. Milk was fantastic though.

But Bobak, where's the Synecdoche love?

Synecdoche was awesome, but was so damn effective that I never want to see it again --a brilliant downer that takes your mind and ties it into a bow as it throws gasoline on every single existential fear in our heads... as a consequence, I've tried to ignore it lest I think about it too much

 

[Average Joe]

Laid to Rest: Brutal Slasher flick. Typical Slasher flick but brutal. All you really need. Quality effects and gore. Bad acting and zero plot need not matter for the genre.

That newest The Punisher movie: Not even sure why I rented it... certainly had better options. Turned it off towards the end. Didn't care enough to bother finishing. The glass bottle part was cool though.

Timecrimes: Strange time travel film. Kind of fun to try and piece the chronological order of the events together.

CJ7: Stephen Chow's kid film. If you like Chow and his slapstick style of comedy you'll likely enjoy this. Wish Chow had more of a prominent role but the kid in the film was awesome.

 

[jro]

I finally saw The Wrestler, and so far, best movie of last year, easy, liked it a lot better than Slumdog. I still say SM is overrated, though, so I'm not the best person to comment on that. Loved The Wrestler, though. Rourke was amazing, Tomei was good, though I wasn't as impressed with her as lot of reviews were, and I thought Evan Rachel Wood didn't have much to do. 10/10

I still have Milk and Frost/Nixon sitting there ready to watch, though, before I can say what's really best pic in my mind, though. Wrestler is ahead of Synechdoche for top 2, right now, I'd say.

Also-

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room - Well done, more interesting and entertaining than the average doc, adapted from book of same name. Very thorough in its accounting of the whole sordid mess. Sticks with NOT going to recreations of things, which I like. 7/10.

Notorious - Jamal Woolard was dead-on as Biggie. Other leads looked nothing like who they were playing (i.e. Puffy, Kim, Pac), but were still effective. Anyway, movie was enjoyable, especially if you were into the rap scene back in those days (I always dug 2-Pac, even if he was a little off his rocker at the end). 7/10.

Hellraiser - I'd actually never seen this before, picked it up on BD. Awesome stuff. Wow, awful acting from various folks, but still great. Bradley rules as Pinhead, of course. Sweet 80's hair. Some cool effects, some that look like they're from an Atari or something. Still a great horror movie, I'd say. Not bad directing work from Barker, either, for his first time doing so, either. 8/10.

edit: "didn't have much to do," above, is not, in any way, intended to suggest that I would refrain from banging that girl 'til her head spun around like Linda Blair in the Exorcist. Just clarifying.

 

[aria]

Saw two more movies at the film fest.

The Kautokeino Rebellion -- Very interesting Norwegian movie about their cultural imperialism over the Sami people during the 1800s, centered on a real life event. Quick backgrounder: the Sami people inhabit the far north of Norway, and are ethnically different than the Norwegians, although they basically look like slightly paler white people... their treatment by the Norwegians is sort of a lighter version of how Americans treated the Native Americans or closer to how the Japanese treated the Ainu. The movie is slickly made and shows the reindeer herding lifestyle of a somewhat nomadic people --and how they start to fell resent the oppression. The term "rebellion" is a little strong, more like minor-uprising, but the people found themselves very susceptible to alcoholism, caused by the import by Norwegian traders who would use it to create near fiefdoms of dependency. The film shows how some religious pastors tried to break the people's dependency, only to run into what was the official line of the State Church (and only church).

The movie does a great job of showing battles for ideology and individual freedom when too many powerful interests are involved. There was only one problem, but it really bothered me because this could have otherwise been a truly excellent film: the villains were just written/acted too evil... they might as well have worn monocles and top hats as they tried to exploit the Sami. If they had toned that down more, I think this would've been even better. I still recommend the movie. 4/5

Personal Che -- Interesting documentary centering on the mythology of Che since his death, not his real life. This makes a lot of sense because his legacy is probably more relevant in the 41 years since his killing. The documentary could've used a little bit of tightening and better organization, but I think it was watchable and featured a lot of interesting moments: you had the people in rural Bolivia, where he had been killed and put on display, who regard him as St. Che (some not even realizing he was a soldier; if you've seen his death photos you'll know where they got the religious idea --they also don't realize he was an atheist), Neo-Nazis in Germany who love Che and feel Hitler and Che were both passionate leaders who fought for their ideas (despite the obvious conflict between their ideology), people in the Barrios of East Los Angeles, immigrants in NYC, the strong dislike of the Cuban Exile community, a musical about Che being put on in Lebanon, a Cuban taxi driver in Havana who greatly admires Che and has his children model their lives on his teachings (and who'd never seen the death photos), and of course the perfunctory academics viewing his image and iconography on various aspects. There's enough good material here to recommend the documentary, but it could've been better. 3.5/5

Unless something unforseen happens, tonight is Tyson

 

[jro]

Question about what is almost certainly a terrible movie- how is Strange Wilderness? I'm working on my next Amazon order, and for $20 for the BD, that's tempting me.

Yes, I have a man-crush on Jonah Hill.

 

[dullbuoy]

Question about what is almost certainly a terrible movie- how is Strange Wilderness? I'm working on my next Amazon order, and for $20 for the BD, that's tempting me.

Yes, I have a man-crush on Jonah Hill.

not as funny as Grandma's Boy, but still has a bunch of really stupid gags/funny parts. i dont think it's worth getting the BD version for, but you can probably get the dvd for cheap.

 

[HeartlessNinny]

Just watched Cloverfield on cable today. It took a bit to get going, but when it did, I was pretty captivated. All in all I'd say it was a fairly unique experience, and definitely in a good way. You have to suspend your disbelief a lot, but hey, that's what movies are all about.

 

[terry.330]

JCmotherfuckingVD- Awesome. Gritty, funny, heart felt though not all that original it's likely more accurate as a portayal of JC as a person than most people think. Plus I got to say some of the camera work although simple was still rather impressive.

Watch it.

Hellraiser and Hellraiser II: Hellbound- Classics for sure. Makes me wish more practical SFX were still used nowadays.

 

[jro]

JCmotherfuckingVD- Awesome. Gritty, funny, heart felt though not all that original it's likely more accurate as a portayal of JC as a person than most people think. Plus I got to say some of the camera work although simple was still rather impressive.

Watch it.

I started watching my rental of that last night, was thoroughly enjoying it a half-hour in, going to buy a copy today and finish it up tonight.

Really solid little flick, who knew the French would finally turn Van-Damme into a real actor?

 

[aria]

I started watching my rental of that last night, was thoroughly enjoying it a half-hour in, going to buy a copy today and finish it up tonight.

Really solid little flick, who knew the French would finally turn Van-Damme into a real actor?

Belgians, dude, Belgians.

Previously, the only Belgian film of note (to me) was Man Bites Dog (which I'm selling on Criterion here!!! )

 

[aria]

Tyson -- Everything I'd hoped it'd be. This was the highlight of the film festival (even before it started), and they had James Toback come in and speak about the film afterwards. Its a documentary about Mike Tyson, from his perspective. It's approximately 90 minutes of him talking to the camera, nothing more, but its brilliant. Why? Mike's disarmingly frank, honest and, at times, highly emotional. How did they do it? Well, I'd heard Toback's interview the previous evening on NPR's Fresh Air, and he reiterated it at the Q&A, but it came from what was a very last-second decision. The first morning of filming, Toback opted to use a style much closer to psycho-analysis (which he had had): he positioned himself behind Tyson, placed the cameras in less obtrusive spots, and asked very general thoughts in a calm, intentionally vague voice: things like "so... tell me about your memories growing up." He would have Mike talk and talk, though it was more of him sitting and thinking (with what sounds like a 1/5 ratio of talk/thought), and then expressing things until he seemed out of anything to say. This went on for 10 hours a day for five days, and it was actually being recorded as Mike was going through rehab. It took 12 months to edit together with some key archival footage (very well chosen in its own right... some excellent stuff with Cus D'Amato]

The result is one of the most intriguing documentaries you'll ever see about a man who defies black/white categorization. I went in already interested by Mike Tyson's conflicts, and this movie is rewarding for both those familiar and unfamiliar with his story. I can't recommend this movie enough. I think anyone who sees this movie will come out with a surprisingly well developed understanding of the subject. Frankly, I could see this style, which was so successful here, used for other celebrities in the future --whether they're as effective remains to be seen (Toback admitted a big element of the success of the interview had to do with the circumstances both he and Tyson were in at the time they did it).

I could keep raving about this, but I'll just finish with: [highlight]See this film[/highlight]. It starts to get wider release in the next few months (in independent theaters), and will probably be on DVD in six months. Like JCVD, you're going to see a spike in people talking about it months after I write this. Remember to check this one out. 5/5

 

[Blue Steel]

Tyson really makes you wanna play with M. Bison (Boxer) for the first half of the movie. Not sure I believe everything Tyson said, but I understand why he bit Evander Holyfield's ears now.

 

[genjiglove]

Is "Tyson" only in theaters right now?