Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
I very much enjoyed this film. Wish they would have chosen to have continued the series.
Four Bells!
“First feel fear, then get angry. Then go with your life into the fight.” - Bill Mollison
The blue elephant in the room.
The new movie might get Disney to release Return To Oz on Blu Ray, and that would be a good thing.
Where were you in '77?
Mrebo said:
The new Oz movie: misconceived and miscast. Not worth the computer it was rendered on.
Yeah, I can't really understand choosing James Franco and Mila Kunis in their roles. Nothing against them, they weren't right.
"The other versions will disappear. Even the 35 million tapes of Star Wars out there won’t last more than 30 or 40 years. A hundred years from now, the only version of the movie that anyone will remember will be the DVD version [of the Special Edition], and you’ll be able to project it on a 20’ by 40’ screen with perfect quality. I think it’s the director’s prerogative, not the studio’s to go back and reinvent a movie." - George Lucas
<span> </span>
Just watched Dredd again.
That is a great movie. Dredd was played perfectly by Karl Urban.
Battle droids the robotic incarnations of Jar Jar Binks.
SilverWook said:The new movie might get Disney to release Return To Oz on Blu Ray, and that would be a good thing.
That would be terrific!
EyeShotFirst said:
Mrebo said:
The new Oz movie: misconceived and miscast. Not worth the computer it was rendered on.Yeah, I can't really understand choosing James Franco and Mila Kunis in their roles. Nothing against them, they weren't right.
Zach Braff would have been a far superior choice. He comes to mind because he was in the movie but he could have played the part of a lady-chasing circus circus magician well. Granted it would only have worked for his lady-chasing to have be rebuffed at every turn. It would have been an amusing running gag. And the makeup for the wicked witch was so bad I could only think of The Mask. Franco and Kunis looked awkward in their roles.
The blue elephant in the room.
This.
[REC]3
It was disappointing as a follow up to the excellent first two movies. I didn't mind the switch away from found footage, but the tone was just so different that it was jarring. All the goofy gore belonged in a standard zombie flick, not a [REC] movie. On the plus side, Clara (the bride) was impossibly cute.
Three out of five tongues.
I think Franco did an okay job as the wizard. Though that role really needed to be played by someone who could be bigger than life. The same with Kunis, she was beautiful but her voice was all wrong and she has too round a face for the major part of the role.
Django Unchained
I'm a huge fan of the original and most Spaghetti Westerns I've had the pleasure of seeing. Films like the Dollars Trilogy, or Death Rides a Horse, Sabata, Once Upon A Time In The West, and so on.
This new film has very little to do with Franco Nero's character of Django. Only thing they share is name, theme song, and Franco Nero, though Franco is now a camero character.
Tarantino was attempting to make an homage to the Spaghetti Western genre, whilst adding a Blaxpoitation element. Shame though, this film could've used a Jim Kelly type actor. Not hating Jamie Foxx's performance though.
I had fun watching this movie, but it feels like Tarantino sort of slapped this one together. Sure, it screams Tarantino, but it just feels like he was trying to fill those expectations.
This movie doesn't apologize for anything, nor should it. Do I feel that it's racist? Not really.
Part of the problem I have with it, is it goes from Sergio Leone to Mel Brooks. The two never blend.
You get your Spaghetti Western, but the meatballs are soon replaced with beans and Blazing Saddles.
The thing that really saves the movie from ADD hell that it is, is the wonderful acting. Leonardo Di Caprio and Christoph Waltz really put on a great show. Samuel L Jackson does what you expect from him. Jamie Foxx does pretty decent, really glad they didn't get Will Smith like they had planned. Then it would've been Wild Wild West 2.
Let's get to the music. This time around, Tarantino isn't using music that works. He is using music for the sake of slapping shit on top of his film. The theme song for Django really didn't work in Django, not gonna work in this one either. Then he shoves the "His Name Was King" theme song in the middle of the film. Then boom, let's shove some gangsta rap in there. Pulp Fiction's soundtrack was all over the place, as was Kill Bill's, but hey, it worked brilliantly. Ennio Morricone has never been so out of place in a film as this.
Looking past all this, I still had fun watching it. I just can't call it a Spaghetti Western.
6/10 meatballs
I watched it because Spike Lee bitched about it, so it helped me enjoy it more.
Lincoln
There's a reason Daniel Day Lewis has a wheel barrel full of oscars, he's damn good.
My knowledge of Lincoln has always been fairly decent, but not complete. So, I'll leave the discussion of it's accuracy to the people who know better.
It's amazing to finally see a Lincoln that doesn't look like a rubber puppet monster. Daniel performs in such a way that you feel like Abe himself is on screen. For an actor to blend that seamlessly in the role is something amazing.
The film is loaded with an absolutely amazing cast. I loved this movie. It didn't feel the need to rake up dirt like most modern films. It didn't paint Lincoln in a heroic light either. It showed him as a man.
8.5 out of 10 stove pipe hats.
"The other versions will disappear. Even the 35 million tapes of Star Wars out there won’t last more than 30 or 40 years. A hundred years from now, the only version of the movie that anyone will remember will be the DVD version [of the Special Edition], and you’ll be able to project it on a 20’ by 40’ screen with perfect quality. I think it’s the director’s prerogative, not the studio’s to go back and reinvent a movie." - George Lucas
<span> </span>
Well, I knew it had been a while since I posted my LMS, but I didn't know how long it was. Anyway, here's actually my entire viewing for the month of March, I'll try to be brief:
The Raid: Redemption (2012) 8/10 - Seriously awesome action movie. Not much more.
The Racket (1928) 8.5/10 - Engrossing silent gangster pic. A little to fast at first.
Let There Be Light (1946) 9/10 - Extremely interesting documentary study of psychonuerotic WWII vets by John Huston. Wish there'd been more.
The Master (2012) 10/10 - Second watch even better than the first. I feel like I really understand this movie now. The above doc gives insight.
Rio Bravo (1959) 9.5/10 - Great western. Honestly great all around.
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) 9/10 - Quite funny, somewhat moving film.
The Great McGinty (1940) 9/10 - Sharp, often laugh-out-loud political satire.
Spellbound (1945) 9/10 - Hitch scores again. Excellent all around as usual. When you think about it, though, it's basically your standard Hitchcock murder story, but with a delusional twist.
Breathless (1960) 9/10 - Definitely a great movie. Didn't really click with me, though. Will have to watch again sometime.
The Breakfast Club (1985) 9/10 - Pretty damn good. Love the style. Little too stereotypical. I know some would say this film proves stereotypes wrong, but it doesn't, it just explains them.
The Karate Kid (1984) 8.5/10 - Don't know what took me so long to see this. Very enjoyable film, even if it's oftentimes very silly.
Killing Them Softly (2012) 8/10 - Had high hopes for this because of Andrew Dominik's last film. Was disappointed. There is some honestly great stuff in here, including top-notch performances from pretty much everyone. But there's no flow. It's very uneven. You can't get into it.
21 Jump Street (2012) 9/10 - I never had any desire to watch this. But I did, and I'm glad. It was hilarious. I don't know, maybe I'm alone here, but I thought this was great.
Sixteen Candles (1984) 8/10 - Pretty good. Very silly, very over-the-top. But sometimes pretty funny, and pretty honest.
Men In Black 3 (2012) 8/10 - A lot better than I expected. Very funny, very enjoyable. Doesn't really get started until J goes back in time. Lot of potential missed. But great fun anyway.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1 and 2 (2012/2013) 8.5/10 - I'm giving the score as an overall. It would be lower otherwise. This definitely needs to be watched back to back. If it is, it's an amazing Batman story.
The Bad News Bears (1976) 10/10 - I did not expect to love this movie as much as I did. Brilliantly crafted picture.
The Hunger Games (2012) 8/10 - Not nearly as bad as expected. Actually quite good. Points deducted for saving character development, plot explanation, and a good ending for the sequels (at least I hope that that stuff will show up at some point. I will admit I've not read any of the books, so I do not know for sure).
Vampire's Kiss (1988) 8/10 - Jesus Christ what the hell is this movie. It took me awhile, but I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be a comedy. At least I hope so. Anyway, Nic Cage gives an outstanding performance that makes this one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Any scene without him falls flat for me. Either way a seriously bat shit crazy movie.
"Kingdom of Heaven" Director's Cut
A perfect epic on par with LoA.
10/10
“First feel fear, then get angry. Then go with your life into the fight.” - Bill Mollison
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Not the greatest movie in the world, but it's still done supremely well. Freddy's at his best here, Heather Langenkamp is wonderful eye - and IMO, ear - candy, and it's interesting to watch Johnny Depp in his first role as an actor.
Willow (1988)
A nice little film. While it does feel a little overlong, the chemistry between the actors and the general atmosphere of the film make up for it (plus, I just get a kick out of recognizing all the "little person" actors I've seen in other roles).
Poltergeist (1982)
The character interactions really make this film, and the general aura of menace the primal spiritual Beast provides is an extra bonus. It does take a little while for the story to get really interesting, though. The worst thing I can really say about this movie is that its sequels are abysmally shitty.
Back to the Future (1985)
An enjoyably fun movie, but the time travel rules give me a headache.
Highlander 2: Renegade Version (1995)
This is a great improvement over the theatrical version of the film. Removing the whole "Immortals are aliens" aspect makes the movie a lot more palatable, and the addition/rearranging of certain scenes does make it actually feel like a real Highlander film at times. Some changes that still needed to be made weren't, though, and - by and large - the movie has only been elevated to the level of "mediocre".
In the Realm of the Senses (1976)
Hmm...yea. That was a lot of unsimulated sex even for an arthouse movie. Interesting watch.
“Grow up. These are my Disney's movies, not yours.”
Death Race 2000 (1975)
I know this is meant to be a ridiculous parody of...all sorts of stuff. And it was low budget to boot. But I still had trouble wrapping my head around it. There were some weird camera cuts, musical choices, and editing decisions that sort of melted my brain a little. And Sly Stone, who I didn't even realize was in the movie until he showed up, chews every piece of scenery he can find.
I'm still not sure, a few days later, if I liked it or not.
Rating incomplete.
Spoofing reality tv before it even existed is no mean feat. How the bastardized remake gets a sequel boggles the mind.
Where were you in '77?
Christmas Vacation (1989)
I enjoyed it, though it's nowhere near as good as the original. It was weird seeing Juliette Lewis with blonde hair.
The X-Files (1998)
This was basically an extended Mytharc episode, which makes it twice as tedious, boring, and pointless as it would have been otherwise.
Back to the Future, Part II (1989)
To call this a haphazard mess would be an understatement. The time travel rules make even less sense this time around, almost every character who shows his/her face is obnoxious, and the whole idea of going back to the events in the first film was a stupid, stagnant idea. If it wasn't for Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, I'd hate this movie.
Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
An alright movie, but it just wasn't very interesting. As a time-killer, it did its job.
The Fog (1980)
It was decent, but a longer runtime and more character development would have probably improved it. Its still definately better than the remake at any rate.
DuracellEnergizer said:
Back to the Future, Part II (1989)
To call this a haphazard mess would be an understatement. The time travel rules make even less sense this time around, almost every character who shows his/her face is obnoxious, and the whole idea of going back to the events in the first film was a stupid, stagnant idea. If it wasn't for Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, I'd hate this movie.
Could not disagree more.
IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!
"[George Lucas] rebooted the franchise in 1997 without telling anyone." -skyjedi2005
"Yeah, well, George says a lot of things..." a young 1997 xhonzi on RASSM
"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.
^Oh, well, at least I liked Part III, which reminds me ...
Back to the Future, Part III (1990)
I loved this movie - its just as good as the original. Also, it almost retroactively makes Part II a better movie (but only almost).
DuracellEnergizer said:
The X-Files (1998)
This was basically an extended Mytharc episode, which makes it twice as tedious, boring, and pointless as it would have been otherwise.
Fuck you. Just sayin'.
;)
Back to the Future, Part II (1989)
To call this a haphazard mess would be an understatement. The time travel rules make even less sense this time around, almost every character who shows his/her face is obnoxious, and the whole idea of going back to the events in the first film was a stupid, stagnant idea. If it wasn't for Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, I'd hate this movie.
I think two is actually my favorite Back to the Future movie, which isn't saying much. About a year ago I went back and watched the whole trilogy and was thoroughly disappointed. These were some of my favorite movies when I was younger, and after not watching them in so many years, they came off as really cheesy and over-the-top. But I still felt the second one was a ridiculously fun revisiting of the original, and I really enjoyed the cross over. Three on the other hand, I felt was just silly through and through.
CP3S said:
I think two is actually my favorite Back to the Future movie, which isn't saying much. About a year ago I went back and watched the whole trilogy and was thoroughly disappointed. These were some of my favorite movies when I was younger, and after not watching them in so many years, they came off as really cheesy and over-the-top. But I still felt the second one was a ridiculously fun revisiting of the original, and I really enjoyed the cross over. Three on the other hand, I felt was just silly through and through.
Part one is and always will be the perfect movie. It's my all time favorite movie and I watch it at least once a year. Thoroughly disappointed? The only part of the trilogy that's disappointing to me is the future setting (2015) in part two.
It's going to be even more disappointing in about a year and a half, with no functional hoverboards or flying cars on the horizon. ;)
You'd think there would at least be a real Cafe 80's restaurant by now.
Where were you in '77?
SilverWook said:
It's going to be even more disappointing in about a year and a half, with no functional hoverboards or flying cars on the horizon. ;)
You'd think there would at least be a real Cafe 80's restaurant by now.
SHUT UP!
Look, there's still time. I know he's not that young anymore, but I believe bkev's had his pants' pockets turned inside out for several years now.
IT'S
GOING TO HAPPEN!
C3PX- I watched the trilogy 2 years ago with my (then) 8 year old son and we both really enjoyed them. I was braced for disappointment, but it may have been the most I've ever enjoyed them. I liked them as a youth, but didn't appreciate a lot of the finer points. I really hated everything cowboy when I was younger, so I really disliked III. This time I quite enjoyed it and found it a worthy conclusion to the Trilogy. Still... I recognize Part I is probably the best movie of the set and stands alone, but still I think that II is my favourite as well.
As an added bonus, when they tried to put 1955 in a jar and keep it forever, they accidentally put 1985 in another jar... a jar you couldn't see until 1985 was well gone. I think the 1955 segments might have been nostalgic for my parents, but I get a kick out of 1985. The old cans, logos, fashion, etc...
Doc Zeus killing Kronos Tower, etc.. ;)
My son really enjoyed them because time travel is still really cool for 8 year olds.
And also this: http://www.mjyoung.net/time/
IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!
"[George Lucas] rebooted the franchise in 1997 without telling anyone." -skyjedi2005
"Yeah, well, George says a lot of things..." a young 1997 xhonzi on RASSM
"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.
What are you talking about? Time travel is still really cool for 28 year olds!
I've never met anyone too old for time travel.